Between women
by maymay74
Summary: Two times a week they reunite after their Zumba class to share their laughs, their secrets. It's the only time they have to be themselves. But life is more than stolen smiles and shared secrets. Four married women bare their souls through cups of coffee.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Well, there are a few details before we start with the story.**

 **This one will deal with four married couples, most of the story will be told on the perspective of the women, but I planned two or three chapters with the male's perspective so we know what's going on inside their heads.**

 **Bella/Edward are 27, Rosalie is also 27 and Emmett is 29; Alice is 42, Jasper is 45, Esme is fifty, and Carlisle is 55.**

 **And the most important, this story is about marriages' crises so yes, there's always the possibility of infidelity. If you feel this is a big no or you want to know if a certain couple will be faced with that specific problem, you can PM me and I will answer without giving away the plot for the rest and certainly without giving you spoilers. Remember I'm a firm believer of HEA, and my first and only rule is that I can guarantee certain couple (wink, wink) will end happily together.**

* * *

 _'This is the part when I say I don't want ya_  
 _I'm stronger than I've been before_  
 _This is the part when I break free_  
 _'Cause I can't resist it no more...'_

"5,6,7,8 and again!" Jane guided the class with the same enthusiasm as always. She felt extremely proud of this class because the women were pretty constant and outside the glass walls of Volterra's gym, they'd become friends.

"Last eight!" she wandered around the room, correcting postures and smiling at her pupils enthusiasm.

"And its' over. Give yourself an applause, you were great."

Rosalie, the tall blond at the back, huffed. "You're killing us Jane!"

"Nah. You'll thank me when you wear that sinful bikini this summer."

Jane watched with glee as the girls picked up their things, joking between each other. Except Leah, who came and hugged her. This was her last class.

"Promise me to keep the good work at home." Jane asked, and Leah nodded, hugging her tightly.

xxx

Leah watched as the others took their seat around the table. This wasn't the first she came with them, but surely will be the last one.

"We will miss you, Leah. Are you sure you can't arrange your schedule to come at least once a week?" Esme Cullen asked. She was the oldest on the group of friends at fifty, but looking like forty.

"No, this new job is very strict with the hours. I was used to working from seven to three, but with little Sammy now at school, I can take more hours. My mother in law is going to help."

"Where did you say you're working?" Rosalie asked. Leah always felt intimidated by her, always so beautiful and with that air of confidence. You would never think she was around Leah's age of twenty-seven and that a year ago she was this shy, scaredy-cat woman.

"Volturi and Carson. I'm a paralegal in their legal department." when Leah noticed what she said she corrected, "not as if I would be a paralegal in their sales department, right?" And the girls laughed.

Bella beamed. "That's where my husband works! You may know him, his name is Edward Masen, tall, reddish hair, green eyes which he cover with glasses, always frowning in concentration."

Leah played it dumb and said she only met her future boss, Renata Carson, the wife of the main partner and CEO. Bella smiled and told her she was going to put a good word with her husband. What Leah didn't mention was that she already met Edward. Renata sent her to the copy room and Leah was scared to manipulate the gigantic copy machine. Edward was really kind to help her get the copies done... until his harpy assistant came and ushered her out, there was something kind of possessive in the way Jessica looked at Edward, but as far as Leah knew, he had a stable marriage and she didn't want to worry sweet Bella.

"My husband works in there too, but he's in another floor. He's an engineer and works in IT. But hey, if your computer ever breaks ask for Jasper Whitlock and tell him you know me." Alice beamed to Leah. What a small world! That way she will have another friend for the Company's events.

Leah smiled at Alice's enthusiasm. She didn't want to mention that she ventured to ask job in that company after she heard them talking about the employee benefits program and the lack of personnel in legal.

"Oh, let me brag about this. My daughter Bree is pregnant and she's coming back home!" Esme broke in a smile of joy. Her eldest daughter finally settled down with Joham and they were moving back to the States. Of course, they were welcomed at her home until they find a home since they left theirs in Germany after so many years.

And while everybody congratulated her, really enjoying her happiness, there was one of them who despite her joy felt a pang of sadness, her smile never reaching her eyes.

xxx

When Rosalie arrived home, she expected silence and a bit of time to set Emmett's dinner. Today was Thursday, the day he uses to go bowling with a few friends of work. Imagine her surprise when she turned on the light and Emmett was waiting for her in the couch.

"Where were you, Rose?" His face didn't show the dimples that always turned her into a puddle of goo, no, he was frowning.

"At my Zumba class. You know I like to take a cup of coffee with the girls later." Rose just passed him by and proceeded to empty her duffel bag with her work clothes. She had to hang that pantsuit or it would wrinkle.

"And you're just back?" Emmett walked to stand behind her pointing to his watch.

Rose was tired and in no mood to deal with her husband crankiness. "The class goes from six to seven and a half, then we go for coffee. Jesus, Emmett, you're reacting like it's midnight when it's just nine o'clock."

"You waste too much time with them, worst, you knew I was waiting here for you."

"You're just mad because the bowling tournament starts in two months. And then what? You come home at midnight! I never give you a hard time for coming home late." Rose huffed and left their bedroom. That's was an old rule they set in the beginning of their marriage. Never bring problems to the bedroom; so now they resorted to fighting in the living room.

"Ok, I'll leave bowling if you leave your classes."

Rosalie stopped and turned back to glare at her husband. "No! That's my only personal time; just like you have bowling, poker nights with the guys, oh and let's not forget Sundays at O'Malley's when it's football season."

"But I was waiting here with dinner ready!" Emmett whined. Rose walked fast to the kitchen, feeling a bit guilty. But that feeling died as soon as she noticed that 'dinner' consisted in two hot dogs full of ketchup, mustard, and pickles. She hated pickles and Emmett knew it! Obviously, Emmett was about to eat when she arrived.

"You know, I'm tired. I'm just going to take a bath and then go to sleep."

xxx

Feeling relaxed after her hot bath, she started to analyze why she and Emmett were fighting so much lately. Sure, Emmett was having a rough time with his construction crew lately, but she got a promotion at work six months ago, one big enough they'll keep their lifestyle even if he kept this spell of bad luck. And if she got the certifications her salary will get higher. She was making a lot more than Emmett as it was!

She closed her eyes, determined to reconsider the situation after a good night of sleep.

Emmett got to bed and he had to admit he was feeling horny. He turned around to his wife and deftly pulled her top up and his hands got to her breasts. It was his not so subtle way to ask for sex.

"No Emmett. I'm tired." She said and pushed his hands out of her top.

"What? Are you kidding me? We hadn't had any in so long!"

Rose woke up when he kicked the mattress.

"Emmett I told you I was tired, besides, I'm angry. I'm not really in the mood like I told you before."

"Right. You waste your energy on that stupid class." He took the comforter leaving Rose uncovered and walked to the spare room.

"Jerk," Rose muttered.

xxx

Not far from the McCarty's abode, Bella arrived at a lonely home. The answering machine was beeping and she went closer to hear the messages.

"Good afternoon Bella. I'm Jessica Stanly from Volturi and Carson and I'm calling to tell you Edward will be busy in a meeting and said to not wait up for him."

Jesus! Could it hurt her for one time to be professional and call her Mrs. Cullen?

It isn't like they were acquainted before.

Well, Edward told her he was getting a new partner. The company grew and they hired more people for the legal department, Leah being one of them. This was exciting for Edward, who got a promotion to a senior position in the legal department and the new employee will tackle the cases with him. The only bad thing was that they assigned Jessica Stanley to be their assistant. She was always boorish to Bella.

Anyway, it was better this way. She needed a few moments alone. Skipping dinner she went up to take a shower, hoping the hot water relaxed her and made her forget. It wasn't like she resented Esme's happiness, it was that she reopened old wounds.

Bella walked to that room in her house, the one she usually avoided and just entered once a week to clean. She walked decisively to the bed, thanking her family and friends for changing the furniture all those months ago, and looked under it. There it was. She took the old shoebox and opened it. The tears fell fast after she did that. She took out her most cherished possession, one tiny blue onesie, and sniffed it.

She got lost on her memories, each clearer as if they happened yesterday. The awful cramps that woke her up. The realization that nothing was moving in her abdomen and the faint feeling of loss and dread. The day passing as a blur, but when the doctor finally came back to give them the terrible news the time stopped. It was all her fault. Letting all her anguish flow she found herself getting more tired until she laid in fetal position and closed her eyes. If she wasn't so weak...

The annoying beep of her alarm woke her up. Where was she? Wait, what was she doing in her bedroom? The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the ba... in that room. She turned around and sure enough, Edward was deeply asleep behind her. He always managed to bring her closer to him with his arm at her waist like he was holding her down. So very slowly she turned and twisted to get our of his embrace. He would be disappointed to find she broke down again.

"Bella?" His sleepy voice called to her.

"Shh, I'm up." She kissed his forehead. "Go back to sleep."

"No, wait. What happened? You were... you know."

Bella knew she had to come clean to him. "Esme's daughter is pregnant."

"Oh." He pulled her back to the bed and squeezed her hard. No words were needed, he understood.

While she was enclosed in his arms, she came to realize that despite their loss, she had a great husband who was always there for her.

xxx

* * *

 **So, did you like it?**


	2. Chapter 2

Esme was so excited because of her daughter; she called last night with a final date for her arrival... three weeks. So Esme, as the busy bee she always was, kept planning on her mind how to prepare a room for Bree and Joham, and maybe a nursery too. Bree will need her those first days. At least, while she gets the hang of dealing with a newborn. Just thinking on those first baths, babies are slippery and the move like frogs. Bree will need her expert hands to learn how to care for the baby.

Esme was so lost in her thoughts, doing her morning chores by inertia, that she almost missed one little detail.

She knew better than to try to make conversation with Carlisle before he had his first cup of coffee, he wasn't completely awake, so she ignored him until he said his usual 'Good morning love', that meant he was up and ready for the day to start. So she was busy when he stood up for his second cup. That's when she noticed it. Her always perfectly groomed husband, who only wore suits for work, was wearing jeans!

She blurted the first thing that came to her mind. "Did I forget to pick up the dry cleaning?"

Carlisle frowned. "Not that I'm aware of." Certainly he noticed Esme distracted this morning, maybe it was her not so subtle way of asking his help. "I can pick it up if you give me the recipe."

Esme shook her head. "You're wearing jeans."

Carlisle looked down, maybe it was too casual for work? "Do they look wrong?"

"No. It's just unusual."

Carlisle just shrugged his shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Maybe I finally want to lose the stick on my butt. Did you know the new slew of interns calls me 'the stiff'?"

Esme giggled. "Maybe if you weren't so severe. Anyway, it isn't as if you work all day with them."

Carlisle winked to Esme. "Lately, I've been feeling generous and may let them in on my surgeries."

"Oh, very generous indeed." Esme knew he had to make them work for the right to get inside one of his surgeries, otherwise, they would never realize the difficulty of his work.

"Do you want me to bring dinner?" Carlisle was almost finished and needed to leave soon.

"Maybe some Indian from the little restaurant on your way home."

Carlisle nodded, kissed her cheek and ran or he would never get to the hospital on time.

xxx

As that mishap was almost forgotten, Carlisle surprised her again when he stayed in bed on Sunday morning instead of going to his weekly game of golf with Aro Palander.

"Car, isn't it late for your game?" She turned around and pushed his arm to make sure he would wake up.

"Not going." He whispered.

"Why?"

"Aro felt sick, something about his back." Now Carlisle turned around and Esme sighed. Well, better leave him alone.

"Esme... do you think golf is boring?" He stopped her with his hand on her back.

"No!"

"Would you play it?"

"Well, not really. But you know I'm not a sporty girl. I'm more into dance or yoga, more like indoors activities."

"But you don't think is boring or for old people, right?"

"Of course not. I think to each his own. Carlisle, why are you asking?"

"Don't know. A mere thought." With that he turned back and got back to sleep. Esme thought her husband was acting a bit weird.

xxx

The next Tuesday, the dance hall of Volterra's felt a bit empty without Leah and Bella, who was stuck home with a cold.

The girls quickly gathered her things after the class was finished, and went to their usual date at the coffee shop.

"Poor Bella didn't came to work yesterday, and should have stayed home today too. I still saw her a bit pale and her nose was irritated." Rose said.

Alice sipped her cup and began to jump on her chair. "She's here! Damn Bella, you need to rest."

Bella gave them a wry smile. She was bored to stay home, that's why she decided to go to work today. Besides, she felt a lot better by now. She didn't have that runny nose nor sneezed.

"I couldn't stay at home. And I'm feeling a lot better. How was your visit to your kids, Alice?"

Alice beamed. When her store finally got success and Jasper was required for an extra project at his company, they decided to enroll their kids into a boarding school to give them the best education. The same where Alice studied. The kids came home on holidays and certain weekends, but Alice and Jasper missed them a lot, so they liked to visit them at school.

"Look, this is Cynthia. She had a growth spurt and now she is, at least, two inches taller than me!" She passed her phone around, letting the others look to the picture Cynthia reluctantly allowed her to take.

"She looks a bit thin." Esme pointed out. And if she looked closely, the girl had dark circles under her eyes.

"She feels pressured with exams, we offered to help her study but she declined. You know Jasper is great with Math, but she said she would manage." Then Alice changed the picture and showed her little boy. "And here's Peter. Please, ignore his manners. He's still a child."

He was a cute kid, sticking out his tongue for the picture.

"With Cynthia growing so much, he feels like he's a dwarf. Jasper told him that girls grow first, but they stop growing sooner. He had to understand that it was wrong to compare himself at thirteen with Cyn who just turned sixteen last month."

"Aww," Esme said, "We had the same issue with Felix. Bree was taller than him for years, but when he turned sixteen he started to grow and now you know what a giant he is. Let me send you a picture so you can show it to Peter. It's a matter of time before he will get taller than her."

"He's scared he inherited my height instead of Jasper's," Alice said, saving Felix and Bree's picture. She really hoped Peter would understand. "He feels he's the smallest in his class, but according to Cyn, he isn't. Anyway, he wanted to come back home on weekends to help with chores so we raised his allowance. He finally confessed he read about a 'growth hormone' they sell on the internet."

"No!" The rest gasped mortified.

"Imagine if you didn't get him to confess." Bella shook her head.

"Yeah, it took us a bit, but finally, we convinced him to wait. He's beginning to understand."

"They're so insecure at that age. Felix was also ashamed of his glasses, he begged and begged for laser surgery. Finally, we acquiesced but the doctor asked him to wait until he was over eighteen. By then he used contacts and later glasses became cool. So the surgery got forgotten."

Bella giggled. "Edward hates his glasses, but I think they make him look sexy."

"Oh, speaking of men worried about their appearance. Would you believe me that my husband was wearing jeans to work last Friday?" As ridiculous as the question sounded, Carlisle was well known of his extreme neatness.

"No!" Rose said, a bit mockingly. She found her friend's husband a bit exaggerated and she always felt a bit of pity for Esme. Carlisle always expected the same care in her outfit. Rose, being a woman who loved to lounge at home in yoga pants and t-shirts, knew she would never last a day with someone like Carlisle Cullen.

"Shh. Don't make fun of her. I think I've never seen him on jeans." Alice slapped Rose hand, noticing how Emmett was truly the opposite of Carlisle making Rosalie less understanding to Esme's wonder.

"Or with a wrinkle," Bella added.

"I thought I forgot to pick up the dry cleaning and he didn't have any more suits." Esme was feeling ashamed.

"Probably a kid puked on him yesterday." Alice wondered.

"Or something worst." Added Bella, thinking of pus and other vile things you can see at a hospital.

"Oh no, he changes into scrubs at work. He wants to look sharp when he has office duties, but with his patients he always wears scrubs."

"Maybe something happened and doesn't want you to find out. Emmett was like that when he started to work on that abandoned factory. Turned out is still emanated sulfurs and it tainted his shirts. He started doing the laundry since then."

Bella turned to Rose. "Did he talk to you?"

"No, he's been ignoring me. Well, he only spoke to me to mention he was going to be late as he had to work on the budget for that empty lot next to the mall where Alice has one of her stores."

Alice nodded. "Right, they want to make a bigger movie theater and bring a few more stores. Wait, he's still mad because you didn't have sex with him?"

Rose nodded, feeling desperate. "And I really don't get it. Sure, we are doing it less because we are tired most of the time, but two or three times a week seem fine to me."

Esme sighed but she agreed. With Carlisle erratic schedule at the beginning of their marriage, it also became a problem and the source of numerous fights, until they managed to find their own rhythm. "He will get over it soon. Maybe you need to spice up things?" It helped Esme and Carlisle.

Bella was counting, and sadly, she and her husband weren't so regulars. Sometimes they couldn't get enough from the other on daily basis, sometimes they were too tired.

"Well, I understand how you can get so busy and let it go. Jasper and I agreed to set one day of the week for sex. So on Wednesday, come rain, wind or fire, we have our date night." Alice said.

Bella was a bit shocked. "Doesn't it kill the passion?"

"No, it had worked for us. We wait anxiously for that day."

Rose was also a bit taken aback. "And what if you don't feel like doing it. Or if you have your period?"

"It isn't so bad we can't handle it."

Esme, noticing they would never understand Alice's point of view, changed the subject. "Bella, do you know how is it going for Leah at work?"

"Oh, right! I have her phone number. Maybe we can take her out for lunch once she's more settled. Edward explained to me that they rotate paralegals according to the workload, so sometimes Leah will work with him. But at the beginning, Renata Carson, the boss, like to keep the new ones with her so they learn the ropes."

"And how is his new partner?" Esme asked.

"He doesn't know what to think. She's too serious. And Edward feels everyone treat her like a pariah. I think we can invite her to dinner one day so she could open a bit with him. It's already difficult with his awful assistant, I want to make things easier for him."

"What's her name? Maybe Jasper knows about her." Alice wondered.

"Tanya Sanders."

"Hmm, sounds familiar but I'm not sure. I'll tell you on Thursday what I find out."

xxx

That night when Alice arrived home, she found Jasper pacing on their bedroom.

"They called from the school. Cynthia is in trouble."


	3. Chapter 3

"Like I told you before we are truly concerned. We talked to the kitchen assistant that helped her and were aware that kids sometimes may skip dinner at the cafeteria when they get upset. But what Cynthia did is kind of worrying. We admonished the kitchen personnel for aiding her, but our main concern is Cynthia wellbeing." The school psychologist explained to Alice and Jasper.

It seemed that Cynthia had been skipping meals and bribed the kitchen assistant with the food for her silence. It became worrisome when in an inspection of her room, they found she been feeding on juices only for a week.

"But we visited last weekend and she looked fine. She never mentioned any problem." Alice argued. She couldn't comprehend what happened to her lively girl.

"We believe she had a misunderstanding with one of her old friends, and considering she had been feeling lonely with the departure of her friend Sarah, we found logical she drew in." What the psychologist didn't mention was that she was aware that one of the girls was bullying Cynthia, but after she confronted the girl and reported her to her parents receiving the answer that 'the kid must develop a thicker skin', she knew it would be better to handle with the Whitlocks who were more concerned parents.

"As a member of this school staff, my first suggestion would be to ask for a couple of sessions a week." She stopped, "But as a professional and knowing how things can turn over here, I think Cynthia would fare better at home. She has abandonment issues. I think she's feeling left out. It isn't her best friend departure only. She resents your success, Mrs. Whitlock, feeling she will never measure up to your level."

So after a few minutes of discussion, they decided it would be better for everyone if Cynthia went back home immediately. They gave Peter a few days to say goodbye to his friends.

xxx

Later, when Alice made sure Cynthia was asleep, she let her tears fall. How could Cyn feel so bad to not eat? She was too thin as it was! And resent her? How? Alice always made sure to keep Cynthia close, to know she had their support to pursue whatever she dreamt of.

Jasper came to bed, his calmed demeanor unnerved Alice.

"What do you think we should do?" Alice was unsure.

"First, do you mind if we skip sex tonight? I'm not really in the mood."

Alice slapped his arm. "Jerk! How could you think about sex when our daughter is having those issues?"

"I'm just saying! I don't want you to complain about it later."

"I'm thinking to take her with me to work while we enroll her in the nearest high school. Maybe to my Zumba class too."

Jasper nodded. "I'm asking her for a date like I used to do when she was younger."

"I'm not sure she would like you to take her to the mall. It's where she likes to hang out with her friends now."

Jasper considered what Alice said. "Well, then ice cream parlor and maybe bowling. We both need to get closer to her, she must talk to one of us." What Jasper didn't say, was that he was afraid Cyn was intimidated by Alice. She would open up better to him, it was up to him to make it happen.

xxx

Bella was feeling better after leaving the cold behind. Edward made sure to come home early every day, bringing her comforting food and books. He doted on her and spoiled her daily. It was time to reward him with his favorite meal, lasagna.

While she was cooking, she received the always annoying call from Jessica, stating Edward would be late. Just, this time, she didn't have that smug tone she always used with her.

Well, either if he was coming home late, he would be comforted by the food. Poor Edward probably let a lot of things go by at work to take care of her.

The food was ready and Bella complimented herself for a well-done job. Edward will appreciate her efforts she thought when the door slammed open. Was he home early?

"Edward, are you fine?"

"Yes, sorry love. It's just that sometimes humanity annoys me. What that sinful smell?" He took off his jacket and got closer to Bella to kiss her softly.

"Hmm, well, you were an angel these past days and I thought you needed to know how grateful I am."

"Bella, love, it wasn't necessary."

Bella came closer and kissed Edward again. "But I wanted. Now sit before it gets cold."

Edward didn't have to think it twice. After a stressful day at the office, this was heaven.

"Why did you come home so mad? As a matter of fact, Jessica just called to let me know you were coming home late." Bella pointed.

"Please, don't make me remember. I had to have a few words with her."

Bella stopped mid bite. "Why? What did she do apart from being rude?"

Edward gave her a sardonic smile. "She tried to give me a lecture on the meaning of responsibility, in front of our boss mind you. She took it personal that I came home early, like I was failing her. I made it clear to her that what I did on my free time wasn't her business."

Bella almost clapped.

"Then, I also commented on the way she treats Tanya."

"Your new partner?"

"Yeah. It's like she has a disease. Nobody talks to her other than work related things. Jessica didn't acknowledge her, not even with a 'good morning'. Today I had enough. We were working on a new case and Jessica only spoke to me, I swear to you, it was like Tanya wasn't there. Of course, I got angry and reprimanded Jessica. We are supposed to be a team, we can't have that kind of preschool attitude."

Bella was surprised. But Edward had more to vent.

"It all comes because Tanya made the horrible mistake of having a relationship with Marcus Volturi, one of the main partners at the firm."

"Really? I thought he was married."

"No, divorced. From the daughter of the original owner from the firm."

"Oh, that explain it."

"Really? Because I just don't get it. They started to date years after his divorce."

"Hmm, but probably princess heiress is still around the company, and no one would want her to get angry."

"Really? Are women that petty? She is almost about to remarry from what I heard. She's a forty-something woman, she's supposed to be more mature." Edward said between bites. "This is delicious, baby."

Bella smiled. He was so easy to get happy, he didn't latch on anger. It was one of the things that made her fell in love with him. Which brought her to another she admired from him, he always stood up for the underdogs, like this Tanya.

"Do you think she would like to come out for a few drinks with us? You know, make her see not everyone is nasty." Bellas suggested. Maybe she could develop a friendship with Tanya. Someone else on her side to bitch about Jessica.

"Sure. I'm going to ask."

xxx

Alice wasn't sure of her plans, but bringing Cynthia to the Zumba class seemed like a start, like something to bond over with her. Of course, she was nervous, and she made sure to get her partnered with Esme. Rosalie or Bella would intimidate her; making her susceptible daughter's almost gone confidence disappear.

"Now some latin rhythm!" Jane screamed. She was so glad to see Alice's daughter. Such a beautiful girl and she seemed to shy from the world. Jane noticed a natural dancer when she saw her, and Cynthia was a natural. She made this class her mission to lift up Cynthia spirits.

"This is reggaeton! Move those hips ladies!"

The lyrics weren't uplifting, but Alice noticed the easiness which Cynthia had to get on the steps. Maybe a few dance lessons will give her some confidence.

xxx

Later on, for their usual cup of coffee, Jasper came to pick up Cynthia. He planned to take her for ice cream or nachos. Maybe a movie? He wasn't sure what his baby would want. Kids these days... they were weird.

xxx

"And he asked her to come for drinks tomorrow evening. Do you think it will be fine? I mean, she works with him. I will feel better if she's on my side, not like Jessica." Bella was telling them about her plans for next day. Tanya seemed enthusiast to make friends. In Edward's opinion, she was lonely after her break up with Marcus Volturi.

Alice hummed. "I'm not sure about her. Jasper told me that the divorce from Marcus was a mess, Didyme always was confronting him and looking for a fight. She was insulted because her family choose to keep him because he was too good to fire him. So she decided to make his life hell. Then Marcus met Tanya and I'm sure if you realized she got demoted to work with Edward. She was in another team, with more experienced people. The rumor said Dydime threatened Marcus with taking away their kids so he broke it off with Tanya... after they moved in together."

"Really? In Tanya's place, I would had quit." Rose said.

"What if she couldn't find a job? If this Dydime is as vindictive, maybe she spread the word and nobody hired Tanya." Bella was beginning to feel sorry for the poor woman. This Marcus seems like a wuss, never standing up for his woman. She understood Edward and his eagerness to help her.

"Sorry for changing the topic, but Alice, what's wrong with Cynthia?" Esme asked. She was worried about the young girl. Her eyes were too sad.

Alice started to wail and between sobs, she explained what happened at school.

"And now she's living with us. I mean, the local high school said she could start in a couple of weeks after the next evaluation period ended. But how could I be intimidating? I'm barely 4'9''. I'm not clearly beautiful, and not a brain. I always encourage her!" She said between tears.

"But you're successful," Rose said, hugging poor Alice. "Maybe if you take her to your work, and make her help, she will realize she's capable of reaching your height."

"And if it doesn't work, she can come with me. We have to find where she feels more comfortable to give her the confidence to realize she's a great girl. She's a great dancer, she picked up the rhythm immediately, maybe dance lessons..." Esme added.

xxx

Rose opened the door to her empty home. Emmett had been working 'til midnight lately. Sure, he started to talk back to her, but he never apologized. She felt like she needed to take the first step.

She took a shower and moisturized her skin with that fruit scented lotion. She wore one of her raciest lingerie sets. Emmett would love it.

He came too late and he reeked beer. He took his boots, his pants, and his shirt. Usually, his sweat had something that turned her on. Not today.

Emmett lifted the sheets...

"Hmm, baby! You had a surprise for poor old me?" Emmett's eyes almost bugged out from their sockets. Rosalie was a sexy woman. He caressed the soft fabric of her ensemble.

"Only for you baby," Rose whispered.

Emmett didn't need more. He loose his drawers and pushed away Rose's ones. He got inside her and thrust inside her.

"Oh, baby! This is what I needed."

Rose felt like he scratched her. Would it kill him to kiss her or play with her for a second? There was some lube in his nightstand.

"Oh, Rose!" He kept going, completely unaware that Rose wasn't feeling it. She realized that in order to make him slip in easier, she had to open her legs a bit more and maybe turn her hips to the right.

Four more pumps and he was coming. "Yeah, that's it. Rosiee!"

He finished, kissed her cheek and turned to the side to sleep. Not even a thank you or good night.

This was the moment Rosalie realized they needed couple's therapy.


	4. Chapter 4

Next morning, Rosalie woke up to the smell of coffee just brewed. Emmett was kind enough to bring a cup to her nightstand.

"Good morning babe." He also brought a tray with a couple of bagels.

Rose rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Good morning, did you bring breakfast?"

Emmett seemed contrite. "I know I've been a jerk these past days, but I promise that will change. We got the contract, baby!"

"Really?" Rosalie wasn't completely awake, so she wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"Yeah, the mall contract. My team was hired to build that new wing. That's why I was out late yesterday, the guys took me out for a few beers to celebrate. This is a really big one, Rose. I will have to hire more guys and maybe call Roberts' wife to be my assistant again."

While Rose was glad to finally know why he was so rude, she had to hurry to get to her job on time. So she munched on her bagel while Emmett babbled on his plans for the new job.

"And I remember you mentioned they're supposed to give you a productivity bonus this month, right? I'm counting on it because I need to invest on a few things. We're going to need a new trailer on the site."

That part disconcerted Rose. The way he disposed of the money before she even got it, it rubbed her the wrong way. She sighed and remembered how money was a subject of contention since the beginning of their marriage. Maybe now it wasn't the time to argue with him about it.

"It's getting late. I need to shower." Rosalie reconsidered her words, he was taking the first step apologizing and bringing breakfast to bed. "I'm so proud of you. I always had faith in you." She said and kissed him. "Why don't I take you out to dinner? We have to celebrate. Maybe that little bar with those gigantic burgers you like." See, she could also make an effort.

Emmett seemed to consider it and answered "Maybe another day. I think I'll be busy because we had to present the formal project next week. Why don't we take a weekend out after that?"

Rosalie agreed and kissed him again. She still felt uneasy and hoped that after a stressful day at work to distract her, she would reconsider what was really bothering her.

xxx

Bella opened the door to the bar where Edward was waiting with Tanya. She wanted to make a good impression so she changed into a pair of tight jeans with one top Alice gave her a month ago. She knew she looked good when one of the men around the door stopped mid-sip of his drink. She wanted to be the woman Edward would be proud to show on his arm.

Sadly, her confidence died the moment she saw Tanya for the first time. She had a beautiful face, her hair almost as reddish as Edward's was straightened but looked shiny, and when she stood up to welcome her she almost fainted. She had a killer body. Bella unconsciously looked down to her modest boobs which were enhanced by her bra. On the brighter side, she had an aspirin ass, flat as a board. Bella couldn't help but feel petty, comparing herself to the poor woman, but hey, she was only human.

"Hey Tan, this is my beautiful wife Bella. Bella this is Tan, my coworker, and partner in crime." Edward introduced them after giving Bella a kiss.

Tanya seemed a nice woman, a bit nervous about meeting her.

Once they were seated, the awkwardness descended upon them. Tanya started to munch on the popcorn at the center of the table and Bella was fiddling with the bow on her top.

"Ok, maybe a couple of beers will loosen us up. None of you have to be nervous, you have a lot in common, you'll see." Edward stood up to get the first round of beers and smoothly mentioned the one topic which will make them talk. "Tan, why don't you tell Bella what Jessica did to you today?"

Tanya blushed. That little harpy was getting on her nerves. But when she looked up, Bella had a knowing glare.

"So she is rude to you too?"

"Oh, she's evil. To the point where I never drink anything she makes for fear she spits on it. She goes the whole day ignoring me, even when it's work related. Whenever she has to deliver a file to me, she just drops it on my desk!"

"I know! I only met her once, and God, she was so rude. But Edward said he's tied to her for at least four more months."

"Yeah, there's a lot of changes going on inside the company. And I tried to get Jessica moved to another team but it's not like they listen to my suggestions these days." Tanya got sad when she finished.

Bella didn't know how to reach the subject and thought that maybe it would be better to leave Tanya's personal life for another day.

"I have a friend who just got hired, a paralegal. Her name is Leah Clearwater."

"Almost my height, with long black hair and big black eyes?"

Bella nodded.

"Well, she's one of the few who still welcomes me with a smile. I'll try to talk more to her then."

By then, Edward was back with the beers, and noticing they were chatting he added his two cents.

"Tanya also met Jasper."

"He seems so serious, but Edward said he isn't."

"No, he's hilarious. Maybe he just needs to warm up to you. It took a few reunions to get him to begin with his 'doctor, doctor' jokes to one of our friends who's a doctor. I can't tell you how much he teases Edward. He knows tons of lawyer jokes."

xxx

A few drinks later, Bella and Tanya were chatting amicably. They had a lot in common, like their taste in music or films. They both loved horror movies and hated drama because always made them cry. Edward was pleased, maybe Tanya could get into Bella's group of friends. It would help both. He got up for another round and this time, Tanya asked for a few shots of tequila. Wow! They were really bonding, Bella never likes to drink hard liquor unless she with someone she feels comfortable enough to get drunk. And she gets frisky later in the bedroom... Edward ran for the drinks.

xxx

"It's awful Bella. I mean, I thought given he's way older than me he would be more mature." Tanya was spilling the beans of her ugly break up with Marcus Volturi.

"How did she told him about the kids?" Ok, Bella couldn't hide her interest. While she loved gossip she also began to care for poor Tanya.

"We just moved together for two or three weeks. He chose a monstrosity of an apartment because his kids had to have their own bedrooms. I just got out of the lease of my old apartment, one pretty small but comfy. When one night we came home from a business dinner, the bitch just left a message on the answering machine. She threatened his rights to visit the kids if he didn't break up with me! She made it sound like I was the cause of their divorce when in reality it happened way before I met him!"

Edward was shaking his head. "And the kids aren't so little. Janine is seventeen, for Christ sake!"

"But then they could seek their father even if she doesn't want it, right?"

Tanya denied it. "She's the one with the money. While Marcus is rich now by his own way, he's not on Didyme's level. He's also very strict with his kids. Didyme spoils them as long as they follow her crazy rules. And I knew it as soon as the message ended. Marcus is really a devoted father. He tried to make it sound like we wanted different things but I knew."

"What I don't understand is why you didn't quit," Edward asked. He was the only one sober in the table.

"It was my first thought. I wrote that same night my letter of resignation. My pride made me plan to leave town and shove this apartment on Marcus ass. But sadly, pride doesn't pay the bills. Marcus left the apartment's rent paid for five months, so I took it as my time to find a new one. I discussed it with him, and he gave me everything that was inside, so after a very long night cracking numbers I decided to sell the furniture. I finally found a nice apartment close to the office, so I just moved last month."

"But they also made you change your work team, right?" Bella wondered.

"Not really. It was they just were cold and only talk to me when it was necessary, and they left me the toughest part of our cases. I was the one who asked to be changed. This one, " she pointed to Edward, "was supposed to work with one new guy. Jacob Black." Tanya giggled when she mentioned his name, which sparked curiosity on Bella.

"It isn't funny. He looks terribly young but he's not," Edward assured Bella.

"Oh, he still has that baby fat on his face. The first time they pulled an all-nighter when the other guys sported a shadow of a beard, poor Jacob had like three sad hairs that tried to be a mustache." Tanya sobered up. "Anyway, I'm feeling bad for him because while he may learn a lot, he's lacking experience and they have him doing menial jobs. My old team is ruthless." She smiled when she looked at Edward and Bella. They shone with love, but underneath their eyes, there was a hint of sadness. "Go home, I can see how your hand is getting closer to the promised land. We'll talk on Monday."

xxx

Esme loved to go grocery shopping alone. Carlisle was more of a burden whenever he accompanied her. He was like a kid, roaming from aisle to aisle, picking whatever trinket calls his attention. They always ended with tons of useless things like the wand remote controller that lasted a week before he threw it because it wasn't working, or the special set of screwdrivers he bought to finally assemble a little coffee table. Both are still packaged. But when she went by herself just as today, she finished in no time. Now all she had to was to store the goods.

She got curious when her husband didn't come around to pry.

She heard the alarm of her little kitchen timer, but it was coming from upstairs.

"I hope he wasn't trying to make it run faster like the other time. He always breaks my stuff." Esme huffed.

The noise stopped but she knew it came from their bathroom. When she came closer she heard a grunt followed by a string of curses.

"Carl probably stubbed his toe."

She opened slowly the door, thinking Carlisle was reclined on it, but he wasn't. What she found shocked her.

Carlisle had orange hair!

He turned around and took a wary glance at her. Esme really tried to keep a solemn face, but the moment Carlisle opened his mouth and said shit, she lost it. She burst out laughing.

"Oh, God! Carlisle, what happened to your hair?" Esme gave the sink a look and realized there were lots of orange dye plastered on it. "You dyed your hair? Why?"

Carlisle kept muttering curses and gave her the most pathetic puppy eyes. "I have gray hair. A lot."

"Oh, baby. But it makes you look so distinguished." She got closer and messed with his hair. He had already washed the remanents of the dye, but his hair felt different.

"And yours is still all caramel and glossy. You still have that golden hue that I loved when I met you." He said.

"And it's because Miss Chantelle takes care of it for me. I dye it. Why do you think I have to go to the hair salon every three weeks?" Esme explained. Clearly she had to take him with Miss Chantelle, whose real name was Beth Anne Pankowsky and was her old high school friend. She was a master of coloring and if she couldn't fix Carlisle hair, no one could.

"Let me make a call and we'll fix it. What did you use?"

xxx

Esme was giggling. Carlisle was seated at Miss Chantelle's hair salon; he was contrite. Miss Chantelle was checking his hair and was about to give her verdict.

"Hmm, I can fix it." She said and Carlisle turned happy. "But it won't be in one session. I'll take the orange tone now, but I want you to come back in three weeks."

Esme clapped, Carlisle huffed.

"No, don't argue. And you're the doctor, you open people to set them right but you can't handle a drugstore five dollar hair dye?" Miss Chantelle chastised.

"Hey! It said to use the whole bottle if you had a lot of hair. Just the proportion of gray surpasses by much the blond ones."

Esme was still giggling. Carlisle was so blond his white hairs almost went unnoticed.

"So, you think you have more salt than pepper? What's the problem? You are a handsome man with a gorgeous wife. Now you look like Ronald McDonald's old cousin."

Carlisle gave Esme a desperate look and she came to hold his hand. "You are really handsome, I love your hair just the way it is. Do you still want Miss Chantelle to give you blond hair?" To which he silently nodded. Esme was beginning to worry. Something was wrong with her husband.


	5. Chapter 5

By next Monday, Esme had devised a plan to get under whatever was bothering Carlisle. She asked Carmen, the chief nurse if she had time to talk to her. Of course, her excuse would be to take Carlisle out to lunch.

"Esme! Come over here!" Carmen called from her desk. There were a few nurses surrounding her, but Carmen ignored her and came to hug Esme.

"Carmen! It's been so long."

"Yeah, four weeks. I got a lot to tell you. This new batch of interns is maddening!" Carmen laughed.

"I'll trump whatever you have. I have a picture of Carlisle that you won't believe."

Carmen became a friend through the years of working along with Carlisle and Aro. She had a knack of teasing the guys and keeping them on their toes. Especially Carlisle. Esme smiled when she started to count how many times Carmen called her to come and get Carlisle who was getting sick with cold or was too tired but never would admit it. If she trusted someone in this hospital to really know if something was going on with Carlisle was her.

"By any chance is it something related to his new shade of blond?" Carmen asked wiggling her brows. Esme had to burst out laughing.

"Yes! You won't believe it!"

Five minutes of mocking and joking, Esme got to what troubled her.

"What worries me is that this isn't the first uncommon action from Carlisle. Carmen, how is he acting over here?"

Carmen seemed to mull it over for a minute. "Well, he's usually more standoffish with the new interns. But with Aro having health problems he seemed to come closer to them."

"How sick is Aro?"

Carmen was serious. "Not much, it's just..." she looked around, and when she was sure no one was close and listening she started to talk. "Like I told you this new group of interns is something else. They are a very close-knit group and follow each other around on their free time. The problem is... how could I explain it? The leader of the gang, Seth, is a charming guy, I won't deny it. But somehow he convinced Aro to join into their group and somehow they managed to make him jump on one of those zip lines saying it was the easiest of their activities. Well, guess what? Aro jumped and hurt his back. We aren't that young anymore."

"Oh, poor Aro. But he is fine now, right?" Esme recalled Carlisle telling her he was hurt and couldn't play golf.

"He had to take it easy for a while, but the few days he wasn't here Carlisle started to deal with them. Now Carlisle was a tougher sell, you know he's too serious while Aro likes to joke around. But I'm sure he's been acting less aloof to them."

"Maybe there's a woman in the group?" Esme asked.

She never had a reason to fear, as girls tend to flock to her husband, he never noticed them. Carmen was always aware and dismissed most of them as crushes. Whenever one of those crushes developed something more and tried to get closer, she simply mentioned to Carlisle that the girl was crushing on him and voilá. Problem finished. Crushes made Carlisle terribly uncomfortable and he became too harsh with the girl, and finally started to talk about Esme all the time. They always got the hint.

"There's the usual new one crushing on him, but nothing serious. Look, here they come."

A group of young doctors came to Carmen's desk; one of them came straight to Esme.

"Miss Carmen, who's this beauty you're hiding in here? Maybe I should start working on my charts with you." The guy tried to get Esme to take his hand when out of nowhere Carlisle came walking fast.

"That, my dear Seth, is my wife. Hello, Es." He kissed her softly making her giggle.

"Hi, are you ready for lunch?" Esme gave a look to the group, most of the guys seemed to stand straight on attention to Carlisle, except this guy and one girl. One that was looking at her with sadness. Yeah, right. He's married and he's mine, Esme thought. Could they be the cause of his sudden insecurities?

xxx

"Go and order three pizzas. Peter is eating like he's going to hibernate." Alice asked Cynthia when they got home.

She took her conflicted daughter for clothes. Once Cynthia realized she didn't have a lot to wear because she was used to her old school uniform she asked Alice to buy her, at least, a couple of jeans and maybe a new coat. Alice, being her, went overboard and bought too many clothes for both kids. Peter, as always, was the easy one. You could take him to Target and he would be happy. He only cared about his sneaker's brand. Cynthia, on the other hand, was as picky as Alice. So two pairs of jeans and a coat turned into a shopping spree that maxed one of Alice's credit cards. Jasper may want to have a few words with her.

She wanted to soften the blow by getting dinner ready and before she wanted to make sure Cynthia or Peter weren't around. Jasper was being a bit too careful with money lately. He came from a middle-class family. He was used to working for everything he needed, but he never had to try hard. Alice came from a wealthy family, everything was handed to her the minute she desired it. And she knew she always had her parents support in case of a cash emergency. So a maxed card never bothered her the way it did to Jasper, who was worried because his big project, the one which brought the big bonus on his paycheck was about to end. Alice was hoping for this Christmas season and all the sales it always brought. In her mind, she didn't do anything wrong.

When she got home she found Jasper pacing on the living room. He knew.

"Come to my study, please. Cyn is going to take care of the pizzas. I asked them to not wait for us." He said before leading the way to his study.

Inside it, Jasper had an opened bottle of bourbon. It meant he was pissed.

"Alice, I know you had the best intentions. But why did you take Cyn for clothes?"

"Well, she needs them for school. She only has like three skirts and it's getting colder. You don't want her to catch a cold on her first days at her new school."

"Don't get funny. If it was something necessary, we always work a deal with them. Get her to do more chores, to help with the laundry, and then we buy her a few clothes. Not that insane shopping spree."

Alice huffed. "It always about money. It isn't like we'll have the same expenses. We won't have to pay tuition now that they're going to public school."

And now it was Jasper's turn to huff. "No, not really. Because the school suggested Cyn to leave, we didn't have problems with her; but in Peter's case, it was us who decided he had to leave and we were subjected to pay a fee for the right to leave the school. You didn't read the whole paperwork, right?"

Alice got quiet. Honestly, she swore she read everything but she didn't remember that part. She worried for other details, like the kids grades.

"Oh, and then add that you're rewarding Cyn's behavior." Jasper took a sip of his bourbon.

"But we agreed to talk more to her. She needs our support."

"Yeah, but she also needs to understand that her actions affected us. Had you talked to Peter? He is happy to help Cyn but he will miss his friends. Cyn's careless actions made Pete's world change."

"Oh, God. He was having those insecurity issues too. He wasn't that happy."

Jasper stopped and glared. "Are you sure? Alice, had you talked to him? No, all your focus was on Cynthia. He's miserable. At least, in his old school, he had friends. He was about to get on the swim team. He's terrified about this new school and he's feeling neglected. Today he came by himself to my office. On his old bicycle. He was scared because he was alone."

"He was playing on his PlayStation. He said he was fine. And he could call if he was scared." Of course, Alice asked him to come to the mall. He chose to stay home playing.

"Still, what are we teaching him? That he had to do something reckless like Cyn and then he will have all our attention and all the things he wants? I already talked to Cyn. I don't know how much you bought, but I asked her to put all the bags with the new clothes in our bedroom. She's to choose two jeans, two tops, and one coat or sweater. The rest, she'll have to work for them. I think it's better you take her with you to one of your stores. Put her to fold clothes or help packing. Something useful. Then we'll see."

Alice wanted to argue, but deep inside she knew Jasper was right. Still she left the study and slammed the door, which caused Jasper to decide to sleep in the guest room for a while.

xxx

That Wednesday at Volterra, the girls were shocked to find that the gigantic mirrors that covered the walls of the hall where they always took their class were gone.

"We also have a pole dance class over here, and we have to check the poles frequently. So they don't have loose screws or get stuck. Anyway, there was an accident when they were fixing one pole and they broke a couple of mirrors. It'll be fixed by next Saturday." Jane explained. One woman on her earlier classes left because she felt uncomfortable exercising when everybody on the other side of the gym could see her. Maybe someone over here would be shy too.

Jane gave a glance around and found that everybody was ready in their places.

"Well, girls. Let rock this place." And so the class started.

xxx

On the other side of the glass walls, one man started his usual routine. He was glad he found a great job but finding the way to get time for his usual exercise routine was becoming difficult. But he managed to get a deal with his work team. One day a week, he was free to come to the gym.

The treadmill was at top speed and he was finally feeling the buzz, only to get distracted by a beauty in the Zumba class. She had the most delicate features, long dark hair tied in a ponytail. Her sinful body moved to the beat of some techno stuff and boy if she rocked it. Maybe his Tuesday workouts will get interesting from now on.

xxx

The class ended and the girls were quick to pick up their things. Esme seemed to have something to talk about so as Alice, who came this time without Cynthia.

When they were waving goodbye to Jane, the man who was watching them decided to go by the door. He turned to the hall and nodded to the group of women who waved greeting him. His beauty included. He winked and made a move to pull his duffel bag to his back, in a way that showed off his biceps. 'Yeah, girl. Look what I got.' He thought.

The women noticed, but unfortunately, didn't have the reaction he hoped. Alice and Esme laughed and catcalled. They found the guy too cute with his babyface, maybe the giggling college aged girls from the back would hook up with him. Rosalie found him vain so she only huffed in disapproval. But Bella, the one he was hoping to attract, felt uneasy. She felt during the whole class that someone was watching her through the glass wall and if it was this guy... quickly she tried to get her wedding ring on, but the guy left and she wasn't sure if he noticed.

Esme was cackling. "Could you believe him? So this is what we miss with the mirrors."

"Yeah, muscled little boys." Alice winked. "Those girls at the back were eating his 'look at my biceps' gig. It will be fun to watch which of them he wants."

Bella stayed quiet. She wasn't sure it was one of the girls at the back what he wanted.

xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Thursday morning Rosalie received a mail that stated their productivity bonus would be delayed by some error by the accounting area.

"Shit!"

Bella came to visit and asked why was she so worried.

"It's the bonus. I won't be getting it this week."

"Do you really need it? I have something saved I can lend to you." Bella suggested.

"No, thanks but no. Emmett got that big contract and he said he would have to invest in a few things, but he'll have to manage. I mean, when they offer the bid, they have to prove they have the requirements to pull off that contract, right?"

Bella, who wasn't completely sure of the way Emmett's construction team worked, just nodded.

"Can't you ask your boss for his help?"

"No. In my contract is stated that I'm eligible twice a year. They don't have a specific date. I guess I should be happy they pay the bonus in the first place."

The problem was that Emmett, who still wasn't the charming man she married, didn't take it well when she mentioned it that night.

"What?" Emmett was pacing in their living room. Rose never thought she would prefer to see him screaming and arguing. Suddenly he stopped and picked up his coat from the armchair where he dropped it. "I'll be back." And he left.

He wasn't back until two in the morning, stinking of cigarettes. Emmett wasn't a smoker. Rose decided lo let it go for now.

xxx

Almost a week passed by.

Jasper was still sleeping in the guest's room. He wouldn't speak to Alice unless it was something necessary. The worst part, Alice never made the effort to talk to him either. She was too busy trying to keep the kids unaware of their fight. A task that turned useless. She heard when one night Peter went crying to Jasper and asked if he was to blame for his getting angry, to which Jasper answered he wasn't. Jasper did the best he could to ease his fears. Peter never dared to touch the subject with her. Cynthia was different. She offered herself to work in of the busiest stores and never complained. She always helped with the kitchen and did her homework in silence. She also was too quiet.

Alice huffed thinking about the silent routine they established. She took care of the kids in the morning, drove them to school. Jasper picked them up, saw them eat lunch and helped with the beginning of their homework. Then he would go back to work while Alice returned and watched the kids. Cynthia never asked to come to the Zumba class again, though Friday, Saturday and Sunday she offered to work in one of the stores. Her chances to enjoy a conversation with anyone was zero. Is that how it's gonna be now? Something's gotta give.

Sadly, Alice wasn't sure how to reach the subject with Jasper. Or the kids. Maybe the girls could help her... they had a lot to say last week. All her friends admonished her. In a way, they made her realize how wrong she was with Cynthia. And Peter. But somehow she never managed to find the words to apologize and now what started as a little bump in the road turned into a family crisis.

xxx

Bella was proud of herself. Now that one of Edward's cases got big, he was cramped at his office until late so she had a lot of free time every afternoon and she got bored. So she joined Esme in her quest of the best furniture to set up her daughter's room. Of course, here and then they bought cute things for the baby. And Bella never cried, not once. Maybe she already shed all the tears she had. Maybe she finally got over it. Who knew? But for now, she was so proud of herself. Not as how proud she was of Edward. Leah called her to mention she was working with Edward on this case. A little complaint, hence Edward's team dealing with it, that turned into a class action lawsuit. It was the big shot to success for all of them. While she wanted to boast to him about her progress, she knew he was stressed and decided to help him to feel at ease in their home.

Even those calls to let her know he was going to be late got better, because now Leah or Tanya called. Leah joined the 'we hate Jessica Stanley' team after two days of close work with her. Now those calls were fun and helped the women to release a tiny bit of stress, more when they knew Jessica was in hearing distance.

The only cloud on her sunny day was that guy at the gym. She really hoped he would relent. Maybe she should ask Edward to come to pick her up one day.

Last Tuesday, despite the mirror walls being back on, the guy from the gym waited for them to arrive and then to leave. That's when they realized he was crushing on Bella. Poor woman didn't know how to show her wedding ring and shove it in his face. Apparently the guy will bother them on Tuesdays.

xxx

"But come on Alice! You're the one who let it grow." Esme almost slapped Alice's hand hoping to get some sense in her.

"I know! But now, whenever I got closer Jasper just huffs and turn to the other side. Peter just says everything is fine, but he doesn't joke around like he used to. Cyn is serious, but she always had a problem adapting to change. So I kind of expected it from her. Anyway, she's coming with me to one of the stores. I hope that gives me the chance to speak freely to her."

Rose shook her head. "Nope. You don't hope, you messed it, you fix it. Seek the chance to talk to her. Take her earlier for a coffee or something."

"I can babysit this Friday. Why don't you take Jasper out and talk." Bella offered.

Alice just sighed.

"No, you don't get the chance to play the victim. Firstly, you were the main cause of the problem. Don't forget is your family, you have to eat your pride to keep all of them together. You can't let this tiny disagreement tear your family apart." Esme reasoned. She was disappointed to find Alice acting like a spoiled brat when she was supposed to set an example for the kids. She also decided to not mention her own concerns about Carlisle. They weren't as bad as Alice's or Rose's problems. And she certainly can discuss them with Bella the next day. They planned to buy the last details like toiletries and maybe a new set of sheets.

"Ok, you're right. But not this Friday. He has a dinner with a few executives, to show the final results of his project. Maybe I can drop Peter with one of his friends while Jazz and I get a chance to talk..." Alice decided to push Jasper to talk first. Then she would talk to Cyn, she would be easier than Peter.

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Esme clapped. "Now, what should we do about Mr. Muscles? Don't think we didn't notice how almost clocked Jane when she mentioned she dared to give him your name, eh, Bella."

"Urgh! I was about to slap her. At least, she mentioned I was happily married, but he was still there at the end of the class."

xxx

Rose was uneasy to come back home. While she made peace with Emmett, who swore he just wanted a few minutes to think things over, because he was under so much pressure, she felt like something shifted in their relationship. Sure, she was more affectionate when he came home, and he encouraged her to go to her class. He even offered to organize a barbecue with her friends and their husbands for Rosalie's birthday next month. Quite the change. But still something felt off.

She made the effort to be available for him, knowing sex always calmed him from the stress from work. Alas, she wasn't 'all' into it. She began to fake. But Emmett was satisfied, and she hoped whenever this projects got settled, she would get back her husband.

At home, Emmett was waiting for her with pizza and beers. Not her favorite but still.

"Honey, dinner's ready!"

While they munched on the slices of pizza, Emmett was a chatterbox explaining how he finally got the project going on.

"Sorry, I've been a mess. But you should see this guy. He is an asshole. Whenever I didn't go immediately with what he wanted, he said he could bring Walter, the team who got the second best bid. It took me hours to explain why some of the things he planned would clash with what is already built. I had to tell him that if Walter offered to follow some of his ideas, it was fine by me. But the building would collapse for lack of proper foundation. Then you remember how I told I was about to bring Robert's wife?"

Rose nodded. She met the woman once, it was Sue or Molly?

"Well, she declined because she got pregnant. Now, I really thought about it. I don't want to hire someone unknown because the boys can be irritating; they act like dogs in heat and they whine like toddlers. Molly was great because she never tolerated bullshit from the guys and they respected her because she was the wife of one of them. So I asked around and one of the guys has a cousin who may help. She worked as an assistant before moving here to take care of her ailing mother. So it's a win-win. She gets a job, they guys will stay on their toes or they may get a beating from Eric. And she has a flexible schedule because her mother isn't that sick anymore."

"So you already hired her." Rose would have offered her help, but she probably wouldn't have the time.

"Yes, her name is Lauren. She will start on Monday." Emmett said excited for finally getting his plans working.

xxx

That Saturday, Rose decided to indulge into buying herself a new dress. She just received the best news. The company would sponsor her course to get the certification. She could become a manager in less than a year! Of course, it had its challenges. The course was taken online, but the monthly tests were held at the closest branch office of the company who offered the course, they were set on weekends so it didn't clash with anyone's schedule. She would have to attend one first meeting on central office, hence the need for the dress, to fill the paperwork for her registry and an induction class. While the company would pay for the course and exams, they would refund all her expenses at the end of the course. She had to pay the monthly fee for the tests. It wasn't that much, but she wanted to save the money given that Emmett was already using their joint account. He just told her he managed, so $200 wasn't that much.

She went to the store where she knew she would find Alice. She had an excellent taste and would suggest the perfect dress for her.

When she arrived, she was welcomed by Cynthia.

"Hello, Rose!" She was glad she didn't call her Mrs. McCarty. Cynthia looked better, not as pale and she had a true smile.

"Hi, Cynthia! How are you doing?"

"Meh. Not bad. Do you want me to let my Mom know you're here?"

"Sure Cynthia."

Rose gave a look to the dresses hanging around. Alice always had the latest fashion and a few daring choices apt for all ages. Probably that was the key to her success.

"Rose! To what I deserve the pleasure?" Alice wasn't looking so fine. But in Rose opinion, she had to shove her pride in the ass and just talk to Jasper.

"I wanted to look for a dress."

That made Alice's eyes shine.

"How formal? Winter or spring?" Alice went immediately into work mode.

"Not so formal. Remember my certification course? Well, I finally got it approved!"

Alice was fast to hug her and congratulate her.

"I'd like to be able to wear it to the work, so not so revealing." Rose added. Alice had a proclivity to show off her friend's assets.

"Hmm, how about this?" She brought one burgundy piece. Really nice. then she got Rosalie walking around with to hand her a few more choices.

xxx

When the time to pay came, Rose brought her debit card. She checked the day before and they had enough on their joint account to cover for the dress and her first-course fee.

Alice passed it through the POS terminal while explaining Cynthia how to do it when the card got rejected. The three women looked around shocked. Alice passed it again and it was rejected. Rose smiled and offered her credit card, it wasn't that much so she could cover it by the end of the month. This time, the card passed without a problem.

Rose decided to check the balance in the account. The day before it had, at least, a thousand dollars if not more money. It was empty! how could? What did Emmett buy today before she got to Alice's store after they talked how he managed to cover all the project initial expenses?


	7. Chapter 7

Rose opened the door of her home, ready to give Emmett a few, not polite words. She found him, lounging in sweats and his awful Homer Simpson sleepers.

"Hey, I went to the bank today, guess what I found out?"

Emmett had the decency of looking ashamed.

"Sorry. My mother called. Her roof needed repair. You know how with the awful rain it leaked and my sister is broke, as always. I had to help her."

Rose just sighed. Just what they needed. Emmett's mother was a manipulative harpy who hated her guts and Rose knew it from day one. Hell, the damn woman faked to feel 'palpitations' on their wedding day to stop it. The worst part was that Emmett was completely fooled by her. But Rosalie suddenly got a strike of inspiration.

"You know, we should visit her. If she's dealing with someone else repairing her roof, they could take advantage. I mean, a lonely old woman."

Emmett was feeling guilty. With Rose, because he knew money was tight after all he spent on this new project without her receiving that bonus. So, he lending the money to his mother right now wasn't such a good idea. Then to his mother. Usually, he made the time to deal with all those small repairs; but now he was so busy with this new project, that he left her alone to deal with it. His sister wasn't any help. She was a whiny self-centered little thing, that was spoiled by his mother. Maybe he needed to listen to Rose more often.

"Let me dress and we will go to help her."

xxx

When they got into Emmett's mother house, all Rose could notice was that it had new drapes... under a perfect, non-leaking roof. Rose just had to hide her anger 'til they got home. This woman played Emmett, again.

"Don't they look beautiful? I saw them in a magazine and I knew I had to have them. Maybe if my home looked more warm, you would visit more. I feel so lonely since your sister started with her new work." Emmett's mother said, playing with his feelings of guilt, trying to appeal to Emmet's sympathy. The problem was, that Emmett was more fearful of Rose's rage. He just asked her to call if she really needed help and drove home.

Rose was quiet. While she couldn't really blame Emmett because his mother played him, he was blind and refused to admit any wrongdoing on her side. He felt guilty because he couldn't stand to be around her for long periods of time, so his visits were scarce. That was true. But what really bothered her was that after all the drama because he needed the money for his new project, he didn't doubt to spent the last of their savings on his mother. And he never consulted it with her!

"I know, I know," Emmett said when they got back home. "I think I should had asked you."

"You think? Emmett, you left the house one whole night to figure out how to compensate the money from my bonus, yet you didn't think it twice to give it to your mother."

"Well, I'll get the first payment from the new project next week. What do you have to pay so important that can't wait?"

"I was granted the chance to get my certification." He frowned after her words. "Yes, if everything goes fine, I could be a manager in a year."

"So you also were trying to spend the what was left on our account without telling me. I just got there first."

Rose huffed. Typical Emmett, to try to turn it around.

"Not really, I asked you where did we stand, and I just found out."

Emmett just shook his head.

"I think I need to see the boys. don't wait up for me."

xxx

When Bella left work, she called Edward to see if he was busy, which was became the usual lately. Leah answered and told her they were just going to eat because they didn't have the time before. Bella decided to surprise them and bring lunch, well, a late lunch.

She bought pizzas, considering she didn't know everyone's preferences.

"Hello! Food is here!" She exclaimed, entering to Edward's office.

Tanya was the first to come and kissed Bella's cheek. "Did I ever tell you that I love you?" Then she took one pie, opened the box and took the first slice.

"We were starving," Leah said. Edward was fast to help Bella and kissed her.

"Do you want a slice, Jessica?" Bella offered, but Jessica picked up her things and walked to the door.

"Thanks, but I prefer to eat in the kitchenette. I brought a salad. You know, to watch my weight."

Behind Jessica, Leah and Tanya were mimicking her frown, making Edward fight to suppress his laugh.

"You're terrible," He said when Jessica was out.

"Oh, she's worst. 'You know, to watch my weight'" Tanya said, with a high pitched voice.

Bella was giggling. "It was rude of her. But at least, she left."

xxx

"And you should have seen her when she heard Marcus coming, she dropped everything, and ran to hide under my desk." Leah was telling the last of what they now called 'Tanya's telenovela'.

"He's a prick. He's been calling but luckily, Jessica always says we're busy. She still doesn't believe it's Marcus who makes the calls." Tanya said.

"Well, and what do you think? What do his calls make you feel?"

"Mad," Tanya said between bites. "I mean, he didn't man enough to confront his bitch ex-wife, so he dumped me. And now he's trying to reach me in a way bitch ex-wife would never notice."

"I told you, he's a wuss." Edward joked.

"So, how are you doing with the depositions?" Bella was interested in hearing what they say. Edward wasn't too clear trying not to worry her.

"Well, we have our first court date mid-January. You know, with holidays and Christmas spirit make December become short month."

"But he has a meeting with the big heads to show him our plans and how we are capable of dealing with this case," Leah said with some kind of pride.

"Really?"

"I'm going to ask for one more lawyer and one more paralegal. The other option is that they see us too green and they take the case from us. I have to prove we know our way around this."

"Which lawyer could they lend you?"

"Probably the new guy, that Jacob," Tanya said.

"He's been acting different lately. He was used to flirting with every girl in his vicinity, and now, he just waves and walk."

"Oh, maybe he has a girlfriend," Bella suggested.

The four of them were joking and making fun of everyone, when Jessica was back, fuming to see them laughing. She wasted no time in showing Edward a note. He frowned and stopped eating.

"Girls, we have to get back to work."

Bella helped Tanya to pick up the trash and went to hug her husband.

"Is everything fine?"

He sighed. "Yes, don't worry. Just... I'll be late tonight."

Bella told him to not worry and kissed him when Jessica cleared her throat.

"Jesus, could we set her up with this Jacob guy?" Bella asked Edward, who was still frowning.

"Don't worry about her." He lifted her face with his thumbs. "Baby, how are you feeling?"

"Fine. I miss you but I don't want you to stress about me, you have a bigger fish to fry over here," she kissed him again. "I'm sure you'll convince them to give you a lawyer. Please, pick one single male to set him up with Jessica."

Somehow, Bella's answer seemed to ease Edward's mind.

xxx

It was Wednesday, and Alice was a bundle of nerves. It took her various days to gather the courage to bribe her children with a day of pizza and movies while she took Jasper out for a date. She didn't want to have that conversation with the kids around, so their house was out of the question.

She left Cyn in charge, with money for the food and she took a little duffel bag. If everything went the way she wanted, she and Jasper would be spending the night in a quaint little hotel on the outskirts of the city.

She picked up Jasper at work, but not before she waved Leah goodbye. Alice remembered Bella mentioning they were stuck at work with a big case. But it was late enough to not get angry when Leah never came to talk, Leah still had a son to tend. Jasper came walking just behind her.

"I made reservations for tonight. I brought clothes..."

"Peter called. I'm aware we need to talk. Where are we going?"

"Could you please show a bit of interest in solving our problems?"

"Alice, I've been here for a long time. you're the one who ignored us. what do you have in mind?"

Alice swallowed her pride. She just had to look at the big picture.

"I made reservations. I wanted to talk to you without the kids around."

xxx

After three hours of debating, Alice accepted she was wrong. But with a few weeks with her and Jasper working in tandem, they would get their family back on track. But Alice had a problem with getting Cyn into therapy.


	8. Chapter 8

_After three hours of debating, Alice accepted she was wrong. But with a few weeks with her and Jasper working in tandem, they would get their family back on track. But Alice had a problem with getting Cyn into therapy._

xxx

That Thursday, Alice couldn't hold it and told her friends everything that happened.

"And he yelled to me. He never did that before."

"Alice, let's be honest. You weren't listening. You were expecting that a simple 'I'm sorry' would solve all your problems. You know it won't be that easy." Esme said.

"I know, but I'm not the only one to blame." When Alice noticed the outraged look on her friends faces, she sighed. "But I took the first step. When we got to the little hotel room, I thought it would go easier."

"What else he claimed?"

"He's worried about Peter. He blames himself for our fight and ignores Cyn because he blames her for moving schools."

"Well, she was the reason."

"But we also pay attention to him. At least, he's doing fine at school. I even talked to the PE teacher mentioning he was in the old swimming team. He's giving Peter a chance to try out soon."

"So he seems happy after the change."

"Yes. Cyn too. She made a friend and they get to our house to make homework. This girl lives on the next block."

"Then your only problems are with Jasper."

"He worries too much, and he's adamant Cyn needs to go to therapy. Cyn said she's feeling fine. I don't want to force her because then it will be a waste of time." Alice reasoned. "Anyway, he's also mad about the example we are setting for them. The way we solve our problems. He admitted he just closed on himself, and that was wrong. But then it was like he had all these emotions bottled. He brought things we fought about years ago. He was complaining of one old admirer who I left down with so much care. He thinks I'm self-centered and that I need to get more involved in our kid's lives. He believes Cyn's image issues comes from my line of work! "

Now, they were shaking their heads. That was uncalled from Jasper, but it also explained how he always kept his cool around trouble. He always kept his emotions hidden.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Bella asked after she gave another tissue to Alice.

"I'm going to take it easy. I'm taking Cyn to a meeting of a support group for eating disorders. Then, we'll see." Alice said and all the girls approved.

"Hmm, well, I'm glad you're working through your problems. But on a happier note, Bree is arriving this Saturday." Esme was so excited. "I wanted to make a 'welcome home' party, but she thinks they will be tired and asked me to postpone the party. Now, I know most of you have your work's Christmas party, so I was thinking, maybe we could throw a new year's party slash welcome home party. What do you think?" Esme noticed how Rose hesitated while the others nodded.

"Rose, are you ok? I mean, I can make Bree's party later."

Rose shook her head. "No! I'll be glad to help you with the party. It's just," she sighed, "we are still fighting. I'm not sure if he'll go with me anywhere. Between work and his mood swings..."

"But Rose, you said you were better," Bella interjected.

"We were..." Rose proceeded to retell what happened, gaining her friends compassion.

"Oh, Rose. you must insist on couple's therapy." Bella said. She was aware of how much Rose's problems were weighing on her.

"I'll get him to come with me. You still have the name of your therapist, right?"

Bella was happy to give Rose her old therapist card, hoping she would help Rose.

xxx

On Thursday after the coffee, Bella gets home to hear the phone ringing. It was Tanya.

"Could you get the stick out of your husband ass?"

Bella giggled. "What did he do now?"

"Every day when Jessica brings those awful notes, he gets all gloomy and starts barking orders. I know he has to report our results tomorrow, and believe me, we made a really good work. But he acts like it's a life-threatening situation."

"Yeah, he's been serious at home too. Though I didn't have the chance to witness his mood. He's been late all week."

"So do we. I really can't wait for tomorrow. You know, Leah and I made plans. To go out for drinks."

"Really?"

"Yeah, either we celebrate and maybe met our new team partners, or we drown our sorrows in alcohol. We can't go wrong with that plan."

"And Leah it's up to it? She has a kid at home."

"Oh, her husband was pleading me to take her out. She needs to relax. He promised to come if her mother babysits. So can we count on your presence? Believe me, your husband needs you there."

"Ok, I promise to go, if you keep Jessica away."

Tanya answered smiling, "Like that would be a problem."

xxx

That night Rosalie waited for Emmett, completely decided to talk to him. She knew he would be more amenable to her idea after sex, so she went to her lot of cute underwear. She couldn't deal with another week like this.

She wasn't wrong, Emmett fell for the clothes and despite her best efforts to feel it again, she was so focused on finally talk to him that she just encouraged Emmett to finish fast. Not that he made the effort to make her feel good. He finished in two minutes, that was a record.

"Oh, baby. Maybe your classes are a good thing. You're more flexible." Emmett panted, before covering them with the sheets.

"Hmm, Emmett. I've been thinking."

"Aha."

"You know we've been fighting lately and I don't like it."

"I don't like it either." Rose has to make her move fast, Emmett was falling asleep.

"Well, I'm considering we should do something."

"Right, whatever you want."

"Emmett. Things aren't right and we need to..."

"What things? I'm really fine." He mumbled before turning to his side and fell asleep.

Rose never had the chance to mention therapy. The moment Emmett said 'HE' was fine, Rose's heart shattered.

xxx

Esme was busy washing sheets and giving the last details to her daughter's room. With Bella's help, she managed to get so much ready and Bree was finally coming home tomorrow.

Carlisle called, it was Seth's birthday and they invited them to a bar to celebrate. Aro and Carmen were going. Esme huffed but she agreed to come, she knew Carlisle had to assist to that party. And if Carmen was there, Esme knew she wouldn't get bored. she agreed.

When she got to the place of the party, she was glad it was some kind of sports bar and not one of those clubs. She wasn't sure Carlisle would feel comfortable on those. She asked for Carlisle to the hostess and she guided her to a crowded booth in the back. Carmen was the first one to notice she arrived and was fast to get her seated.

"You don't have the slightest idea of how glad I am to find you." Carmen winked. "These boys are already tipsy and laugh at all my jokes. Look, hey guys." A few of the young doctors turned to Carmen and cheered. "Two parents take their son on a vacation to a nude beach. The father goes for a walk on the beach and the son goes and plays in the water. The son comes running up to his mom and says..."Mommy, I saw ladies with boobies a lot bigger than yours!" The mom says..."the bigger they are, the dumber they are." So he goes back to play. Several minutes later he comes running back and says..."Mommy, I saw men with dingers a lot bigger than Daddy's!" The mom says..."the bigger they are, the dumber they are." So he goes back to play. Several minutes later he comes running back and says..."Mommy, I just saw Daddy talking to the dumbest lady I ever saw and the more and more he talked, the dumber and dumber he got!"

All the doctors around burst out laughing and cheering. Just then Esme found Carmen knew a lot of dirty jokes and she passed a good time until she noticed that young doctor with big breasts hounding on Carlisle, who was too busy playing Jenga with another young doctor to notice.

"Car, dance with me." She had to take him away from that slut.

Carlisle was never a dancer, but he shook his head to the beat of the song as Esme lead with her hips. Esme threw her arms around his neck and she kissed him like they were newlyweds.

It didn't take too much time for that young woman to huff and leave. Could this woman be the reason behind Carlisle's sudden change? Did he want to look younger for her? Because for the looks of it, he was completely unaware of her attempts to gather his attention.

* * *

Sorry guys, I'm still recovering from my cold.

What do you think about Emmet's answer to Rose? and about Alice?

I think we'll hear the guys in a couple of chapters so if you want an answer, don't be afraid to ask.

See ya!


	9. Chapter 9

We'll be moving up on time, especially at the last part.

* * *

Bella was waiting in the lobby of the lavish hotel where her company's Christmas party was held. She could hear the music blaring and the laughter. She had a good time, but Edward's party was also held today and for his, he could bring a plus one, so they decided for her get early into her party and leave soon so they have the chance to enjoy Edward's. And they really needed a night out.

She was a bit nervous because today she was going t meet the newest members of Edward team: the infamous Jacob Black and a young boy named Michael Newton. The last Friday, when she met Tanya and Leah for drinks, Edward arrived with the good news almost at midnight. He said the damn meeting took too long and that while they approved of his plans of asking one more lawyer and one more paralegal, they weren't kind enough to give him someone experienced. But at the time the girls were half drunk, so Edward just joined for a beer and he took all of them home.

For the Christmas party, Tanya was anxious to see if Marcus was bringing a date and she almost asked Jacob to come with her. She was lucky to have Leah and Edward discouraging that plan, so now Bella was also curious about him. Was he annoying? Was he a jerk? Edward said that Michael, on the other hand, was a young man who got his girlfriend pregnant and married her. He was working his ass off to pay the bills and hoping to continue his education soon.

Still... Bella kicked the box at her feet and whined because it hurt her. Every year she won something at the company's raffle but this year's prize trumped everything she ever won. It was a desk lamp, so hideous it was funny, but she couldn't wait to show it to Edward. Maybe that could become Jessica's Christmas gift.

Edward parked the car just in front of her and descended to help her in.

"Oh, so you won something again, eh? What's this?" He lifted the box and huffed. "Is this really a mermaid on a rock?"

Bella giggled and nodded. "Is this tacky or what?"

"You know, we should keep it just for the giggles."

They went on their merry way, making fun of the damn lamp. Edward guessed it cost a pretty penny, because of the material, but it was such a waste to make it so awful.

They were still joking when the got into the party, and Bella smiled at the lavish setting. She knew the company where he worked was huge, but this party housed, at least, five hundred people!

"Look, I think Tanya is standing behind that column. Let's go and get her." Bella said, already happy to see a friendly face between the sea of strangers.

xxx

Jacob was so excited for this party. While he felt this change of teams was like demoting him, Michael made him see that if they played their cards right and win this case, they will be seen as the next big shots. But Jacob decided to keep his chances open in case the case didn't end well and decided to meet more people. Who knew where his next chance could come?

But then, among the throngs of people, he saw something unexpected. Someone must have listened to his prayers because she was there in a beautiful green dress as she just came out of his dreams. The brunette from the gym. As he got closer, decided to at least ask for her phone number, he noticed she wasn't alone. He could see the back of a man and a woman. Right, Jane told him she was married. But still... He followed them one afternoon and noticed they went to have coffee and bitched about their husbands, so if there was a chance she wasn't as happily married as Jane portrayed, he could wait and show her there were other men who can treat her like the queen she was.

When he got just behind her, his heart plummetted to the floor. She was here with Edward and Tanya. She was Edward's wife.

"Jacob! Let me introduce you to Edward's old ball and chain, Isabella Masen." Tanya said, trying to hide her laughter after seeing Jacob's blush.

What went unnoticed to her was that for a second Bella paled before giving her hand to Jacob. A gesture he misinterpreted completely.

'I knew it!' He thought, 'Her face was one of pure guilt, as she is so attracted to me.' He was gloating internally. And which every attempt he made to get closer to her, answered by Bella bringing Michael or Edward between them, he was convinced more and more that she was trying to hide her attraction because Edward was here. Sadly, Tanya who always was more observant was hiding from Marcus, who came with his daughter. But to Jessica's observant eyes it didn't go unnoticed.

xxx

At the other side of town, Jasper was coughing. first, Peter got a cold, which passed to Cyn, Alice and now to him. So instead of being drinking and joking with his co-workers, he was sneezing and sporting a fever. He was supposedly in charge of the kids, but in reality, all he did was to call for the pizzas and go back to bed.

"Hey, I'm back." Alice waved from the door. She was glad she felt better because, for the Christmas party at her stores, she organized a simple toast and canapés. She went to each store, greeted the employees, said a few words, toasted and left. She did it four times and she was exhausted and a bit tipsy.

Things between her and Jasper were improving but she was having a lot of trouble reconnecting with her kids. Cyn was most amenable to talk to her since Alice was the one who took her to the supporting group meeting. It was quite an eye-opening session. A big part of Alice was happy because Cyn problems weren't as bad as the one she heard, but when a couple of the girls mentioned how all their problems started, it gave Alice chills to notice how similar it was to what Cyn was living through.

Peter was still being cold to her. He wasn't rude, just not in his usual playful manners. And she thought he was going to be the easy one.

"Mom, my belly hurts," Peter said when she got into the kitchen. While her first reaction would usually be to see how many slices he ate, she decided to cuddle him and then figure out how much did he eat.

"Oh, baby. Come here, let me see what can I give to you."

She took him to his bedroom and tucked him before she brought some medicine. Peter was blabbering about how he won the tennis match before the break at his school and maybe he could try to play tennis instead of swimming, then he mentioned how one of the girls invited him to her birthday party and he wondered if he needed to resort to stopping eating like Cyn to get her to buy him clothes for that party. Alice felt like someone kicked her guts.

xxx

Rosalie didn't attend to the same party as Bella, no. Now that she was on the courses for her certification, her boss encouraged to better assist to the party held by the company who will certify her. While it was full of new people, she was confident enough to mingle and find new friends. She would need them if the rest of the course went as the first class.

She was still reeling from the news Emmett gave her before leaving to work: Her mother in law was coming to spend the holidays with them. She was so angry that she did something rash. When she picked up her bonus check, she used it to open a new bank account, one for herself. Just the thought of that harpy faking illness just to gain attention or to get Emmett to buy her stupid things in a way to show how she was more important than Rose... it made her blood run cold.

But for today, she decided to relax and mingle. There was no reason to let that harpy diminishing her spirits today. And the fact that a few men tried to obtain her number while she flashed them her wedding ring, flattered her. It was vain, but sometimes you needed that little push.

"Hello, hello. Please tell me you remember me. I was seated behind you in the induction class. I'm Garret." The handsome man introduced himself. Rose blushed but was polite. she flashed her wedding ring and Garret still remain talking to her, so maybe he was only interested in friendship. And friendship was something she needed now.

xxx

"Mom! Where are the towels?" Bree yelled from her bedroom. She got here three days ago, and she still wasn't used to the way her mother kept the house. It wasn't like this when she lived here! Joham was such a sweetheart, always there to sooth her, but today he left to arrange the transport of the things they didn't want to leave behind in Germany. So for today, it was only her, her mother and her annoying brother.

"In the hallway closet. Now, hurry up. Your appointment is in an hour and the doctor's office is far." Felix answered, with a snotty tone, but he brought her a towel.

"Shoo! Go and play with your toys." Bree answered. She knew Felix had other plans apart from taking her and her mother to her new ob-gyn.

"Thank you, brother, for bringing me a towel and aiding me in my time of need" Felix mocked.

But then Bree opened the towel to find it was a pair of hand towels. "You jerk!"

"Don't fight kids!" Esme yelled from her study. For a minute, she was transported ten years back. Esme remembered how Bree loved to push Felix buttons, only to run and tattle on him when he retaliated.

Esme heard the shower running and a door slamming shut followed by Felix's chuckles. It only made her sigh. When Bree arrived, Esme was so enthusiastic to have her daughter back home. But the tiresome flight and the stress of the pregnancy made Bree to only want to sleep for the first two days. And whenever Esme mentioned Bree's welcome home party, Bree frowned, stating she wasn't in the mood for a party. The nausea was back and she was still used to Berlin time. So the party was cancelled and Esme pressed to set Bree with an Ob-gyn, hence their appointment today. Carlisle was so kind to leave his car behind, in case it was needed and he also stated it was time to buy a new one, which made Esme laugh, because Carlisle always bought the same black Mercedes, only getting the newer version.

Felix poked his head into the kitchen. "We're ready, Ma. Are you sure I can drive around or do you want me to wait with you?"

"Nah, you go and have fun. Just be ready for when we call you to pick us up.

xxx

Felix dropped the girls and decided to drive to the place his old girlfriend lived. He heard through the grapevine she was married now, so it was just out of curiosity he drove over there. In a red light, a sports car stopped by his side.

"Nice ride," He said. It was an Audi TT. His father's dream car. In that moment, the driver of the Audi rolled down the window and Felix was shocked to find the driver was Carlisle.

xxx

A few days later, Alice received the bad news that one girl tried to steal a few dresses of one of her stores. She went immediately to deal with the problem. She parked the car in the back of the parking lot, where it was almost empty, so when she finished dealing with the theft problem she took five minutes to relax.

She had a few words with Jasper before, worried about what Peter said, but he pointed that to him, it was like Peter was taking advantage of her feelings of guilt. She just could never get it right! Sometimes she was ignoring them, other enabling, and now her own son was blackmailing her. It was too much. So Alice took advantage of the few minutes she got alone and cried.

Twenty minutes later, she composed herself. She lifted her phone to see if someone else left a message but by mistake, she turned on the camera pointing at herself.

"Ugh! I look like a train ran over me." She huffed and changed the view of the camera, which pointed outside, on a trailer parked a few feet from her. Then, a shirtless man exited the trailer laughing, followed by a giggling woman who was wearing what probably was his shirt. Alice gasped. That was Emmett! So she did what every sane person would do, took pictures in hopes to show them to Rose to find out she was wrong.

* * *

So, what do you think?

Next chapter will be the guys POV, so if you have a question, feel free to ask.

See ya.


	10. Chapter 10

"Give me my shirt!"

"Oh, this little thing. I can't. You are going to get it dirty with the materials they guys are bringing." Lauren pouted.

Emmett tried to get closer, he knew she had one t-shirt behind.

"Then I'll have to tickle my way to it." He heard her giggle and when she tried to close the door of the trailer, he got to her. He started to tickle, but soon enough, his mood changed and he groped her ass.

"No, Emmett. The guys are supposed to be back."

He sighed and left her, but he managed to get his t-shirt back. He got the weird feeling that somebody watching them. He turned around, the construction site was empty; the other side was the parking lot for employees, it had a few empty cars. He shook his head, it was only his imagination.

He walked to the other side of the site. He sent a few men to pick up the metal rebar and concrete he already bought. It was still empty, but it was true they were in their way.

He sat on a pile of bricks to wait for them. The edge of his shirt had lipstick stains, again. Another sigh escaped him. He was glad he took on the laundry at home, Rose would kick his ass to the curb if she found out. His beautiful wife Rose. He remembered the day he met her, She was at the same differential equations course. She was quick to learn and had some fire in her. He was astounded to find she was a sophomore, she had brains and beauty. Of course, all the guys in the class asked her out just to be rejected. She was really focused. It took him the whole semester to get her number, but after a few dates, he knew she was the one. They dated for another semester when he convinced her to marry him. He just graduated and had a job, he could support her. She still had one year to go.

At the beginning, their life was perfect. He was away working, but her course load left her with time to be the perfect housewife. She always welcomed him home with a smile. Whenever they went out, he was proud to see every man looking at them, green with envy. And she still had that fire, that usually came up when his family was around. It wasn't a secret the hate between his mother and Rose though if he was honest, his mother smothered him too much and he found her highly annoying.

One truck passed by, but it wasn't the one he was expecting for.

Where was he? Oh, right, his first years of marriage. Rose had a hard time trying to get a job, so she accepted what he considered was the worst job ever. Her boss owned a big school supplies store, like Office Depot, which was located just int he worst part of town. He also was a prick. Emmett grumbled and remembered how many times he went to pick up Rose at night just to hear the man yelling at her and the other employees. At the time, money was tight so he listened to Rose's pleas to leave the man alone. But the moment Emmett got the chance to buy his old boss construction business, he took it. The poor man was too old to continue and he knew Emmett was capable of managing the men. Of course, Emmett and Rose struggled at the beginning, but when he told Rose she could quit, she almost threw a party.

That boss took the fire out of Rose, making her a frightened, insecure woman. While it should have bothered him, he found docile Rose more likable. He started to talk about kids.

Then she had to find this job and met her new friend Bella. If you asked him, that was the beginning of the debacle. Bella supported Rose and helped to find her groove back. Rose was a natural at this job, so she soon was promoted. That gave Rose an aura of confidence that made him uncomfortable. Now Rose was tired all the time, she wasn't so enthusiast to be intimate with him. Sometimes when he was back home she wasn't back from work yet, leaving him to dine alone. Obviously, now Rose wanted to wait a few years before having a baby. 'We are still young' she said.

Then came one of the worst day of her friend's life. She had a miscarriage. Rose became the rock her friend needed, and to lift Bella spirits Rose took them to those dancing classes. He was aware it was women only, he certainly followed them to get sure. He wasn't a jealous man, but he had to check that gym. Rose found more friends there and then he felt as his wife was gone. He didn't know at what point he got angry with Rose. She had a valid point when she mentioned he still had his friends and went out with them, it wasn't like he was all the time at home. But still, when he was, he expected his wife to be there too.

Then the stress between them got too much and soon he just wanted time alone. Work wasn't easy either, but he found solace in the metal walls of the trailer. It was the first thing he bought.

He saw movement in the distance, maybe the boys were closer.

Then Lauren happened. It wasn't like he did it on purpose. No. He remembered the first day she came to work, looking like a wet cat in a pantsuit too big to be hers, her hair straightened and with killer heels. He was quick to tell her that he needed her to dress with comfy clothes. He will need her to do rounds around the site, and those heels were screaming 'accident'. His harsh tone made her cry. Emmett didn't do tears. He was grateful Rose wasn't used to cry like his mother did. The next day, she came to work on those leopard print yoga pants and sneakers, not what he wanted but it was better, so he let it pass. She was so docile and eager to help. She always admired the way he commanded the guys and was prompt to bring whatever he needed. She also was very fond of his biceps, she touched his arm whenever she had the chance.

One day... one day he was so stressed. He fought with Rose the night before and that asshole Dunlop was trying to sell him inferior materials. Lauren came to him and gave him a massage. It was quite innocent. But at the third time she massaged him, things got heavy and before he knew it they were going at it on his desk. Lauren was so different to Rose. Sure, Rose was a natural beauty, Lauren wasn't as easy on the eyes despite the heavy makeup. But she made up in other ways. Lauren praised his style, his stamina; she made him feel like 'The Man'. Somehow, along the way, Rose emasculated him and to find someone who found him so desirable to topple him over the desk... It wasn't like he was leaving Rose, he just needed someone to cheer him up.

The truck arrived. Emmett sighed. He was so glad he was doing the laundry.

 **xxx**

Carlisle stepped on the gas and the car purred. Why did he wait so long to get one? Of course, this was the test drive, he could change his mind. If only Thomas could see him...

Carlisle's childhood friend Thomas died from a heart attack two months ago, leaving his family inconsolable. Thomas devoted his whole life to work. He was a genius on investments, so he died a rich man. A lonely unhealthy rich man who didn't see death coming. Thomas left all his assets to his mother and siblings, but Carlisle was sure they would change all that money for a few years more enjoying Thomas presence.

He left a letter to Carlisle though he was sure he wrote it long time ago; because the attack was so sudden, it got him at home in his pajamas. At least, he didn't suffer.

Carlisle remembered the wake, with Thomas' family crying. He was so devoted to work, he never married, and Esme pointed how sad was that the only thing he left to be remembered was money.

Carlisle wouldn't make the same mistake. No, sir. But what really put things in perspective was the letter. Thomas sent him the old bucket list they made when they were in college. It was full of old dreams and crazy ideas, from when the world was full of possibilities.

On the next red light, he noticed someone was watching him, so he turned to his right. No way. It was his own car!

"Felix?"

Felix waved from Carlisle's old black Mercedes. His questioning eyes burning holes on Carlisle's face. Well, if someone was about to discover his latest fancy, better to be Felix, at least, he would understand. So he made signs to Felix so they could pull over.

"Dad? Whose this car?"

"Hmm, well, it's still from the agency. It's my test drive. I'm considering to buy one now that I'm... well, Bree and Joham need a car, they can have the Mercedes, so I needed a new one." Carlisle answered nervously. How do you explain to your son that now that you are facing the fact that you aren't immortal, you want to give this last part of your life a little spark? How could you explain you want to do wild things before your body won't allow such thoughts?

Felix walked around the car in awe. "Could you buy it? I mean, these cars are expensive."

"It's on my budget. Maybe I'll have to eat out less for a year, but this car is worthy."

"Can I drive it?" Felix was almost jumping with excitement.

"Sure, but we need to park the Mercedes. Let's make a deal, you drive it back to the agency while I take the Mercedes but you help me to sell the idea to Mom." Carlisle knew Esme wouldn't bother what car he bought. She even would find funny the fact he deviated from his ways. But as Felix wisely pointed, this car was expensive, and now he won't be having the money of the sale of his previous car because he was gifting it to Bree and Joham. Well, last time he checked their finances, he could buy a new house for Bree and they would still have a lot of money. Still, he knew Esme knew something was up after the dying hair debacle.

"Sure. Wait, where are you going to drive it? It would be a crime to keep the car inside the garage."

Oh, Carlisle knew what Felix was trying. But he would find a way to drive the car around. Maybe taking Esme to picnics. Nobody would call him 'Grandpa' to his face anymore. He was still full of life, he shall show the world. Carlisle Cullen still had so much to do with his life.

 **xxx**

The last soul abandoned the IT area. Jasper waited five minutes before getting inside his office. He wanted to be sure to be alone. Once he believed he was alone, he took out a vodka bottle from his desk. Usually, he used the hidden bottle to toast with his coworkers when one project was done, of after a crisis was solved without a hitch; but lately, he was dreading coming home, so he remained in his office for an hour or two. It also helped to avoid traffic. He took a shot glass and poured the drink. Vodka wasn't his favorite, but it had the trait of been almost odorless, contrary to brandy or tequila.

Once the alcohol relaxed his body, he pulled out his own laptop and opened a game of mah-jong, his latest obsession. One game that while made him think, gave the focus to comprehend the gist of his problems. He recently reached the conclusion that after this crisis with his kids, he was left without feeling love to Alice. Sure, he will love her forever but lately, he wasn't 'in love' with her.

It wasn't a sudden change of feelings, not really. Just when the crisis was averted, or at least, they were working on it, he'd come to the realization that his feelings for Alice were gone. And, like the organized man he was, he made an exhaustive analysis to reach that conclusion:

'Exhibit A', All those little quirks he always found endearing, now were irritating him. Like the way she hugged the bathroom in the mornings making him sharing the bathroom with the kids. Or the way she used his leg to heat her cold feet with those tiny thingies on her toe nails. All pretty harmless but lately he found it annoying.

Exhibit 'B', The way he blew out of proportion their last fight. He knew Alice was expecting reconciliation sex, she brought the adequate clothes to drive him crazy, alas, he kept arguing and arguing in any way he thought to avoid sex. He didn't hold her either, which was what they used to do whenever one wasn't in the mood. He faked to be angrier than he was to force Alice to give him space.

Exhibit 'C', He dreaded Wednesday because lately... he didn't find her desirable. There was something so wrong when the body who used to drive you insane with lust, suddenly you now found it lacking. Then there was the look in her eyes, to make sure they were still connected. He was scared shitless to let her look into his eyes to find them empty. It wasn't fair to her. Though she wasn't giving him that look to him lately either, but he attributed it to stress.

Exhibit 'D', the worst, he found her presence... not pleasant. It wasn't only those little quirks. He found that besides the kids and whatever they did on the day, they didn't have nothing to talk about. Sure, their taste in books, films, and TV sometimes clashed, but still they always managed to find something to talk about. Jasper always knew how to make a joke about the dullest subject just to make her smile, but now... not so much.

He took another shot of vodka and voiced the hard questions, the ones even in his mind he never dared to ask: Did love wore out its duration? Were they together out of habit?

Jasper was scared to think his feelings over Alice were over. They still had a lot potential, but maybe almost twenty years together were taking their toll. Jasper just saw one path to follow. He would never disrespect Alice, she was his partner after all. But he had to face his feelings. Well, he had an excuse to leave after all. Uncle Roscow was sick and he wanted to say goodbye to him, a few days away from Alice would give him perspective. He could take the kids for the weekend. It was only Alice he wanted to distance from.

He cracked some numbers and it will take them, at least, four more months to recover from the blow of the change of schools. But he had saved enough mileage to take one kid back home. Probably Peter. Yeah, a few days way will work out even for Peter.

In his mind, the words of his friend Eleazar kept repeating. He was a divorced manager. 'Sometimes you need a vacation from marriage, a few days to revalue how much you love your wife.' Eleazar took his wife for granted and now he regretted divorcing her. He won't commit the same mistake. He wanted a few days away from Alice. He would take the kids, go back home and then come back with a new perspective on his marriage. They needed to be together to help their kids to overcome this crisis.

 **xxx**

As usual, before leaving for the day, Jessica brought the dreaded note to Edward. Tanya and Leah found unreasonable his change to a sour attitude whenever he received the note; then he did the same he's been doing after reading it.

"Guys, let's get home. I'll close the office for the day." Edward said and got back to the little room he called 'office'. The area the company granted for them was small but cozy. Edward, as the leader, was assigned a tiny office for discretion, the others had cubicles around his door, making the area closed off for the other workers.

The others turned off their computers, started to pack and said goodbye. Leah ran to the elevator while Tanya went to the bathroom. She needed to change her killer heels for flats. On her way out of the bathroom, she heard voices and waited a minute to let them pass.

"I don't like the closeness between that Masen and Tanya." It was Marcus, so Tanya was prudent enough to stay hidden.

"Oh, no sir, I can guarantee you their relationship is strictly professional," Leah answered. She was walking really fast because Tanya knew she had to get home to her husband and kid.

"Still, I heard they went out to a bar for drinks."

"Oh, we all went out that time. Tanya is a good friend of Edward's wife, so it was more like a girls night out."

Tanya couldn't hear anything else so she thought the coast was clear. What did Marcus think? They were over as he deftly put after his bitch ex-wife called. So if Tanya wanted to go out with half company she certainly could.

She walked fast to the elevator when she heard Marcus again. Quickly, she walked back, maybe she could hide in Edward's office now that everybody was gone. Without thinking she opened the door and got in... only to find Edward crying inconsolably.

xxx

When he closed the door, Edward took the note that Jessica brought and sighed. Another hopeful quote made to help him overcome his grief. Jessica never understood what was behind those notes, she probably thought they were code for something dirty he was doing behind Bella's back. In reality, a young priest who was a friend of his sent one thought daily in hopes to comfort Edward.

Edward read the note again and tried to find a place where to hide it, but it was impossible given the overstuffed state his desk was. He piled the files and notes, trying to not mess with them, only to drop them unceremoniously over the cabinet at the back of his office. Once he deemed his desk was clean enough, he opened the first drawer from his desk. He pulled his most prized possessions. First, his wedding picture. They were so happy that day, it showed through the glass of the frame. One could see how much love they shared. He caressed Bella's face. She never looked so beautiful to him. Even his coworkers thought she was beautiful. Michael just complimented Bella once and leave it like that, but he didn't like the way Jacob eyed the picture whenever he was around. He put the picture to the side of his laptop and went for the second most prized possession. The only picture he had of their baby. The sonogram. That's when he couldn't hold it anymore and let the tears flow.

In that moment, someone barged into his office. It was Tanya and she was so fast to close the door that she didn't give him a chance to argue.

"That bastard!" She grumbled, then she turned to Edward. "Shit! What happened? Why are you crying?" She was fast to drop her bag and got closer to Edward.

"Nothing, just please leave me alone."

Tanya sighed. Once upon a time, she may have listened and leave her friend alone, but not now they were closer.

"No, I'm here to listen. It's obvious something is bothering you, I never saw you cry before. Did you and Bella fight?"

Edward shook his head. "No, really. I don't want to talk about it. What are you doing here?"

"Ugh, hiding from Marcus. He was asking around if we were dating. Could you believe his nerve? I have to stay here for a minute, so spill. What's your problem?"

Edward shook his head again but Tanya saw the sonogram picture.

"Is it about your baby? Bella told me."

Edward hid his face from Tanya scrutiny.

"Oh no. I bared my soul to both of you. I consider you and Bella my friends, really close ones. So spill. You know you can count on me."

Edward couldn't hold it anymore. He told Tanya how the day they lost the baby, he had a work date with one client. He left Bella at home alone. She called him as soon as he left, telling him she was feeling weird. Then half an hour later she was still feeling odd. He promised to take her to the doctor as soon as his date finished. The next call, Bella told him she wasn't feeling the baby moving. He finally got rid of the client with a shitty excuse and took Bella to the hospital.

"I was hoping they tell us it was only heartburn. But no. They moved Bella from one test to another for hours, until finally they told us the baby died."

By now, Tanya was sobbing with him. "Did they give you a cause?"

Edward shook his head. "No, only that they believed the baby died around six on the morning."

"That's so sad."

"But don't you see? It was my fault. If I had taken Bella to the hospital as soon as she felt weird, maybe we could have saved our baby." Edward burst out crying.

"No, no. It wasn't your fault. The doctors said the baby was already..."

"But if there was a shred of hope to save him... Work wasn't as important. I, I, I killed my baby!"

Tanya hugged him, and let him cry on her shoulder, though, unbeknownst to them, someone cracked the door slightly open and watched.

* * *

Let me hear your thoughts :)


	11. Chapter 11

Alice drove home just by inertia. Her mind was still focused on the images she saw. A part of her was ready to run and confront him, but for what? No, it wasn't her place to confront him. Rose will need to face him and maybe kick his gonads so they won't work anymore. How could he do this to Rose? She was a loving wife, better than the woman on the trailer. Well, Rose mentioned they were having problems, but to reach this low...

The pictures on her phone were consuming Alice's thoughts for two days. How to show them to Rose? 'Hey, look, I know why your husband is acting like a jerk. He's getting something on the side.' No, too blunt. Sending them anonymously could be an option though Rose could disregard the pictures as fakes. What to do?

Suddenly, Alice realized her problems with Jasper weren't so big. If only he was here, Alice thought. She couldn't figure how someone could recover from that kind of betrayal.

xxx

The whole Cullen family was at the airport, saying goodbye to Felix who was going back to college. Esme couldn't stop noticing how the guys were sharing secret smiles and Felix gave Carlisle an excited hug. They were hiding something from her. Esme turned around to look at Bree, but she was happily munching on a pretzel, completely unaware of the guys. Maybe she knew it too. How could she make Bree talk?

Unfortunately, Esme's train of thoughts was interrupted by a call. It was Alice.

"Hi, are you home Esme? I had something very important to discuss with you."

While Esme was on the phone, Bree made signs to the guys to hurry up. She still couldn't believe her father bought that ostentatious car. Of course, Felix and Joham were excited. Her father was letting them drive it. And when she argued where he could take advantage of the car's speed, Carlisle mentioned he was planning to take Esme for a weekend away. Bree was delighted. It warmed her heart to know her parents were still so in love, and it would give her a couple of nights of rest. She couldn't even fart without Esme coming and knocking on her door to ask if she was fine. A fart! Then Joham obviously didn't want to touch her, to risk Esme hearing them. Yeah, they needed those nights alone too.

"Are you ready baby?" Joham asked Bree. Felix was walking through security, so they could finally leave. Joham was taking her out for maternity clothes.

"Are you going home, Car? One friend is coming to the house, and I offered to be there." Esme said, but Bree stopped her.

"We're going back home, I need to pee. You know how picky I can get with public restrooms."

xxx

Alice decided to consult with Esme the best way to deliver the news to Rosalie. She needed another opinion and Bella was too close to Rose to be objective. When she rang the bell, it was Esme's daughter the one who opened.

"Hi, you must be Bree. I'm Alice Whitlock, a friend of your mother. Is she around?" Alice said in one breath.

Bree found her mother's friend funny but immediately noticed the stress she was harboring.

"Sure, come in." Bree took two steps to the side and yelled for her mother. "Mom, your friend Alice is here."

Esme was in the kitchen, waiting for the coffee to brew. So she was fast to bring Alice there.

"Take a seat, how do you want your coffee?"

"I think I'll take it with just one of sugar. No cream." Alice fiddled nervously with her bag's handle. Then she took her phone out and thanked Esme when she put her cup in front of her.

Esme noticed the frown on Alice and got worried. Would it be one of the kids?

"Alice, what's troubling you?"

"Oh Esme, I found... It's just... I was there and then he-he..."

Esme patted Alice's arm. "Take a deep breath and start again. Where were you? At home?"

"No, I had a problem in one store. The one at the mall where Rose's husband is working." Alice said and took a sip from her cup.

"Ok," Esme said, not having the slightest idea of where was Alice going with this.

"The parking lot for employees is on the back, just beside the place where the construction is going. I swear I was just sitting in my car thinking of my own problems! I wasn't following him."

"Following who?"

"I-I took my phone out, to use it as a mirror. I was crying and all my make up was caked around my eyes. Then the camera was on, and I pointed it outside. And I saw him... with her!" Alice burst out sobbing.

"Who did you see, Alice?"

"Emmett was coming out of one of those trailers, shirtless. And then one woman came out too, with his shirt on. They started to kiss and, and, I took pictures because I needed proof. Poor Rose! How am I going to tell her?"

xxx

The next Tuesday proved to be one of those ominous days.

First, Bella woke up late. Somehow she managed to kick her phone which dropped, letting the battery fly out. She missed her alarm. She gave herself a cat bath and ran to work, only to find out the area where her cubicle stood, was out of electricity. She used the morning to organize her files, but she was finished by ten. What to do with the rest of the day? Her boss was out in a meeting, and Rose, who was her superior too, was busy studying for her certification class. With only a few hours of sleep thanks to Edward's busy schedule, she found her eyes were dropping. So Bella decided to call Esme, who usually had a more relaxed schedule and could talk while working. Anything to occupy her time.

"Hi, Es! How are you?"

"Hmm, hi Bella. I was about to call you. Listen, I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure, Esme. Anything."

"We need to have a conversation with Rose. It's a delicate matter, and we feel that the coffee shop wouldn't allow us the privacy I'm sure we'll need. Do you mind if we go to your house after the class?"

Bella got a little concerned. Why would they want to talk at her house when Esme's was closer to the gym? Then it downed on her.

"Sure Esme, you don't want anyone to hear, right? Is that talk so delicate?"

"Worst."

xxx

After ending the call with Esme, Rose came to visit Bella.

"I'm bored!"

Bella moved to the side since Rose was rolling her own chair.

"Weren't you studying?"

"Meh, there's only too much I can read before falling asleep. I swear I got those concepts clear but if I read them one more time I will scramble them in my mind."

Bella offered Rose one of the candies she kept on her desk and asked how were things at home. The last Bella knew, Rose was pushing Emmett to get couple's therapy.

"Argh! Don't ask me. I swear one day I'm going to strangle him with my bare hands. Two nights ago I was finishing my homework and he started to talk out of the blue. Just talk about nonsense. That he liked Bob's hot dogs better than the mall chilidogs, how one of his employees got a new tattoo and then it was infected. You know pure bullshit. I ended going to the spare bedroom to finish my homework and to sleep. Next thing I know, he blames me for ignoring him and said that we wouldn't need couple's therapy if I only made the effort to talk to him."

Bella gave another candy to Rose.

"I swear he's just rambling to make me ignore him so suddenly he can blame me for all our problems. Ha, but when I have the chance to talk to him, he turns around and says he's too tired and pretends to sleep. I don't know what to do!"

Bella pondered what could Esme possibly would want to talk to Rose, she surely had problems with Emmett but... and then Bella knew what they were going to talk about.

xxx

At the Zumba class, the four of them were quite distracted. Jane noticed it too, so when the class finished asked if the girls thought the movements were too rough, which Bella answered with a no. She noticed how Jacob Black came running when he saw the class was over. Bella jumped back and hid between Esme and their duffel bags.

"Hello, ladies! Bella!" He cheerily greeted, but the spirits of the girls weren't just there and they only waved back, much to Jacob's chagrin. With nothing else to do, he turned around and clashed with a short woman.

Alice left immediately, before changing. In the support group, they suggested to encourage extracurricular activities, like sports, and Cynthia asked if she could go to the dance lessons Jane offered. So Alice ran for the brochures and was too distracted to notice who was standing at the door. She collided with a wall of muscles and was fast to apologize.

"Sorry, I was distracted." She looked up and Bella's creepy stalker smiled at her. He was really handsome and boy if he was buff. He held her for a second and she didn't miss how it felt to be engulfed in his strong arms. Too bad Bella was happily married, otherwise, Alice would encourage her to pursue the big guy.

xxx

Later at Bella's home, with the comfort of four cups of strong coffee, they finally told Rose about Emmett.

"And when I changed the view of the camera I saw him with another woman." Alice almost whispered the last part, fearful of the way Rose would react.

Rose remained still for a minute, her eyes never turned to where Esme was fiddling with the phone. While she would love to say it was impossible, deep down she was aware something was different with Emmett.

"Show me those pictures." She finally got the courage to ask because she knew it was necessary to see it with her own eyes.

"Are you sure?" Esme asked, before giving Rose the phone after she nodded.

Just the first look at Emmett kissing that woman, one of her worst nightmares, felt like a stab to her heart. She didn't feel in the mood to see the rest of the pictures. She spent the last weeks trying desperately to save what was left of her marriage, only to have Emmett to stomp on the last shred of hope.

"I want a divorce."


	12. Chapter 12

Rose found she couldn't stay at her home after finding out Emmett's infidelity. The first night after she found out, she stayed with Bella, crying the whole night through. But when the tears were over, then the anger made its presence known. She considered to confront Emmett and the floozie at his work, but Bella made her see it would turn out badly for her. She had to be more intelligent and hit him where it hurt.

So Rose decided to take a few days and go visit her family. Bella was adamant that there was nothing so soothing as your mother's arms. Rose didn't have a problem at work, she was so organized with her notes and never took vacation time. So up to Wyoming, she went.

She called Emmett to let him know she was on a course from work, and let him know when she was coming back; the jerk didn't even ask in which hotel she was staying, which made her lying to him easier. And the determination of getting the divorce was finally there.

"My poor baby! Do you want me to go back and kick his ass?" Rose's mom was irate. That bastard was always too controlling and he got the guts to cheat on her beautiful daughter. Now she felt bad for leaving Rose too much time alone. But what were her options? Her husband died and Lidia, her other daughter, just had triplets. Of course, she chose to stay and help Lidia. But it seemed like the one in need of help was Rose.

Lidia was pacing around. That fucker!

"What do you want to do?" Lidia asked, knowing in Rose place she would hang Emmett by the balls to see them dry.

"I-I don't know. Just two days ago I was still fighting to get him to therapy, but now..." Rose sniffed. "I think I want to divorce him. I can't even look him in the face."

"It's alright baby." her mother soothed. "Why don't you take these days to clear your head. I'm sure the right decision will come to you."

xx xxx

Around Friday, Rose was more calmed and finally accepting the fact her marriage was irremediably broken. She didn't know if there was something to save either. "You're sure about the divorce?" Lidia's husband Calvin asked and Rose nodded. "Then, do you have a lawyer? I think you should confront him with the divorce papers on hand." He appreciated Rose and believed she didn't deserve to be treated like that. It broke his heart to see her crying day and night for a man who didn't respect her and the bond they shared. And he never liked Emmett, so the eagerness to give him a lesson was easy to expect.

All three women turned up to look at him.

"Well, if you go and argue, he may get away with his infidelity. You've mentioned he wasn't a doting husband prior to this, so who knows what else he was doing? If you go, and show him that you were aware and..."

"We had money problems," Rose whispered, ashamed to admit to her family she gave him the chance to get away with so much.

"Excuse me," Lidia asked.

"We always had money problems. And I'm scared because our joint account helped to lift his construction business many times and now it's empty. And then he needed my productivity bonus and I didn't like the way he expected me to invest it again in his business or to help his mother and I hid the money and if we get divorced he will leave without a cent and where am I going to live because he surely will want the house."

"Shh, shh. It won't happen." Her mother soothed her. "We'll get you the best divorce lawyers, you'll see."

xxx

Saturday caught Bella alone at her home. Edward was about to make a statement about the case next week and he and the team were working non-stop. She cleaned the house and thought what to do with Rose's call.

 _'Bella, I think I'll stay 'til Tuesday. But I need a favor.'_

 _'Sure Rose, whatever you need.'_

 _'Could you ask Edward or your friend Tanya if they know a good divorce lawyer? I want to start working on that.'_

 _'Are you sure?'_

 _'Yeah, there's no going back from this. I want to know how to act or what to do before letting him know that I'm leaving him.'_

Bella didn't know what to do to help Rosalie so when she asked this little favor Bella was fast to get to work. Rosalie deserved to get the most cunning lawyer to put Emmett in his place. First, she asked Edward. He quickly took out his list of contacts from college but told Bella none of the ones he still knew were working on that branch of law. But he promised to ask Tanya. But Bella knew Edward would forget as he was so busy. So she decided to bring lunch to him (she noticed how he was losing weight and worried about his health) and ask personally Tanya if one of her acquaintances would help.

To not be rude, she went again for pizza for all the team. So carrying six pies of pizza she went to his office that Saturday morning.

The receptionist gave her a glance and was fast to call Leah, as even her knew of Jessica's bad attitude. Soon, the ones who came to help were the new boy Michael and Leah.

"Mrs. Masen, you're a lifesaver. I swear my stomach was eating itself." Michael joked.

"Call me Bella, you make me feel old," Bella smiled, thinking she was less than five years older than him.

When the elevator doors opened, Tanya was already there and took one box of Bella's hands.

"Gimme gimme!"

Bella just shook her head at Tanya's antics. Where did she keep her food as she ate like one of the boys? Michael was also munching on a slice and brought the rest to their work area, leaving Bella alone with Leah.

"Edward told me about Rose." Bella scolded herself for doubting Edward. "I may have a friend who can help her. Well, they are a couple but they 're ruthless and they aren't too expensive. They specialize in divorces and other family affairs. I'll give you their number." Leah said in a low voice, though not low enough to keep Jacob from hearing. He only heard one part of the conversation, but God if that didn't give him hope.

"So Bella is looking for divorce lawyers, maybe Jessica is right and Edward is having an affair with Tanya. I think I'll keep an eye on them."

xxx

Esme's weekend started with a big surprise. Carlisle came home with the biggest floral arrangement. Not roses, as Esme wasn't a fan of them.

"And there's more. I planned a weekend of romance, so Mrs. Cullen, let me take you to your ride?."

Esme was confused. He called her last night to say he was busy in surgery, but then he look well rested this morning. Then the flowers, and that little bag at the foot of the stairs... Esme turned around and Bree was giggling from upstairs.

"Your clothes are packed. Now, Dad went overboard but you'll love what he planned. Don't be too hard on him." Bree came to Esme and kissed her cheek. " Go. He's waiting outside."

Esme was confused. What did Carlisle plan?

"Go Mom. Remember I love you, have fun."

Soon Esme found herself out fo the house and still without a clue of what was going on. She walked to the street, where a sports car was parked and Carlisle came out of it.

"Oh Carlisle, you didn't!" This was the new car he bought? Esme was expecting an SUV since they were expecting a new addition to the family.

Carlisle paced in front of her, nervous as fuck to see the disappointment on Esme's face.

"But I planned a wonderful weekend away." He said, trying to make her smile. "See, Bree and Joham are keeping my car for now, but Joham plans to change the car as soon as he's finally settled at work. So, I thought, why not something for just the two of us? We still have time before the baby comes and I'm sure by then we'll see what we need to buy."

Esme walked around the car. She wasn't a fan of it, but she had to admit it was beautiful. And Carlisle seemed so excited.

"The guys loved it! You should have seen Felix driving it for the first time. It was like he was five again, jumping on the seat of the car."

Esme turned to see him. "Felix knew?"

"He went with me for the test driving," Of course, Carlisle wouldn't share how Felix found out. He was still expecting to have fun this weekend. Esme had that resigned look. Obviously, her boys would be happy with the car! That's why Bree told her to not be so hard on her dad.

Carlisle, seeing Esme was finally caving, took her hand and led her inside the car.

"Prepare to be romanced this weekend."

xxx

Sunday morning caught Esme with a pain between her legs she hadn't felt in years. Wow! Carlisle really went all out to make her feel cherished. The little hotel was lovely and romantic, he took her to a stroll in the beautiful gardens around the property. They shared ice cream and then at night he took her to dine and dance. Dear two-left feet Carlisle danced with her the whole night through! Ok, he swayed her from side to side, but Esme was aware of the effort on Carlisle part.

Then he took her back to the hotel, she was a bit tipsy, but she remembered how passionate he was. The only cloud on her parade was that she woke and found him locked up in the bathroom whispering profanities. Maybe he was the one who couldn't hold his liquor. It also didn't go unnoticed the relief on his eyes when Esme just wanted to cuddle instead of going for another round. He probably was too tired and hungover.

As they were leaving, Esme offered to drive the car home. Then was when she realized men didn't like to share their toys, as Carlisle claimed to be perfect to drive back home.

"It was a wonderful weekend, we should have a repeat." Esme sighed. She pushed her seat backward, as she was completely aware that the car was going fast. She noticed a little box dropped and she picked it up. She didn't want to leave trash on the new car. She saw the box and was surprised to see it was Viagra.

"Carlisle, what is this?"

Carlisle swerved the car but recovered quickly.

"Hmm, a little something for our weekend."

Esme looked at the box and got angry. "Was this necessary? I'm sure you could make me happy just by spending some time with me. You know this is dangerous. Your blood pressure could get sky high! Jesus! Carl, we have to take better care of ourselves. We are going to be grandparents soon, and if we want to watch our grandkids grow, we have to be more careful of our health. We're not young anymore!"

Esme's rant left Carlisle angry. They weren't that old and he was a doctor! He didn't take Viagra before a careful assessment of the damage the substance could bring. But he only mumbled his answers.

"Carl?" Esme looked at the red on his face. He was pissed off.

"I'm a doctor. The specifications said for a man of my size..."

"What?"

Carlisle just kept mumbling all the way back home. Just what he needed. Another reminding of his age.

When they got back home, Carlisle just led Esme home and went back to his study. He didn't want to talk to her at all. He was hurt because she didn't appreciate all his efforts to make a great weekend for her.

Bree noticed something was wrong when they come back, so she went to talk to her mother.

"What happened? I expected you to be all sweet and relaxed."

"I think I hurt him. It's just, he used something to enhance his... he took something..." Esme showed Bree the box.

"Mom! He planned this weekend with so much care. He wouldn't risk his health by using something he couldn't handle." Bree was grossed but no shocked to know her father used something to help him to improve his sex life. He was a doctor for Christ sake! Why did it bother her mother so much? "Did you know he asked around where to take you? How he tried to learn how to dance? Mom, he did his best to make you happy and ignore the fact he bought that car."

"Oh, what did I do?"


	13. Chapter 13

The small sports bar atmosphere was the same as it was when Alice met Jasper, 22 years ago. Despite her reticence to come, Alice was glad she did. She was sure something happened when Jasper visited his family, but they didn't have the chance to talk without the kids hearing, so when he asked her to come to Finnigan's to relive old times, Alice thought it would be a great chance to have a heart to heart with him.

"Look! They still have that stinky moose head on the wall!" Jasper pointed to one of the corners of the bar. Alice always hated it as she said the moose had evil eyes.

She only answered with a smile.

"Two Coronas" Jasper ordered to a waitress who was passing by.

"So how bad is uncle Roscow?" Alice was curious and Jasper wasn't so forthcoming with the kids around.

"Very. I don't know what saddened me the most if looking a ton of tubes coming out of him, or the fact that he couldn't remember me." Jasper dropped his sight. "He thought I was his father and he asked forgiveness for eating the blueberry pie his mother cooked for dinner. And he said it all with a childish voice!"

Alice felt a tear falling from her eye, uncle Roscow was very dear to her as she was sure Jasper inherited his sense of humor from him, not that Jasper joked around much lately.

"Don't cry, it was bound to happen. He's the oldest brother at ninety-two. But the doctor assured us that he isn't in pain at all. He will just fade."

"But still, he always had that happy outlook at life and to finish like this."

They remained quiet sipping their beers, thinking about the sad end the destiny was bringing to old dear uncle Roscow.

"I crunched numbers, and I think we still have enough mileage to get the kids for the funeral. My mother said they give him a month." Jasper said and then he made a sign to the waitress to bring them another round of beers.

Alice went and hugged Jasper. He hugged her back and sighed. "You know, this travel was an eye-opener in many ways."

Alice looked back at him confused about his statement. "What?"

"I mean, we were under so much stress and us, well, I maybe was rude to you when I shouldn't. Yes, I was angry, but I didn't talk to you the way I should. So I'm apologizing for my asperity."

"Oh, Jasper! I was so rude too. And I never considered your opinion. You were so right, I handled so badly the situation with Cyn, and yeah, I was enabling her when I also was ignoring a bit Peter because he was well behaved and didn't need my attention. Just promise me we will talk before taking a decision about the kids. I may be impulsive but you're also very strict. We, together as a team, take better decisions."

"So, what do you say if we come back home for a bit of adult time, and then we have a talk with the kids in the morning? I'm sure they'll be sleeping by now..." Alice said and Jasper nodded his approval. He felt they were on the right path to mending their marriage. After all, this was only a bump on the road.

xxx

"Why don't we have a lazy afternoon?" Edward asked after he surprised Bella picking her up from work and brought her home. He was tired of dealing with his case and he missed Bella.

"Sure!"

Edward called for Chinese while Bella changed into her pj's.

They sat on the couch and talked about their day so far. Bella mentioned how busy she was that she didn't notice Rosalie's absence.

"When is she coming back?"

"Tomorrow, I think. She has to face Emmett sooner or later, but I understand why she's delaying it. But she has a date with the lawyers Leah recommended, so she has to come back."

Edward sighed. He wasn't as close to Emmett as he was to the other husbands of Bella's friends. If anything, Emmett was just an acquaintance. He never knew what to talk about with him, it wasn't like that with Jasper or Carlisle. Hell, if he wasn't so busy, he would gladly go to Jasper's floor to have a few laughs. And he knew what to mention to Bella about laughs.

"You know? Jacob has gotten on his mind to follow me around the whole day."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. You don't know how much Tanya teases me about it. Just as Jacob leaves the room she starts with' I want to be like you when I grow up'."

Bella giggled. Well, Jacob had a lot to learn from Edward in her opinion.

"Did I mentioned he goes to the same gym as me? I've seen him a couple of times after my class ends." Bella didn't know how to address the fact that Jacob's stare usually intimidated her.

Edward noticed Bella's frown. "Does he bother you? He seems fascinated by you. Not that I blame him but you're way out of his league."

Bella smiled. "And out of the market. But yeah, he's a bit creepy."

"Maybe it's because of his teeth. They're too white."

"Oh right! Like they glow in the dark white."

But Edward was still concerned. "I don't know what to think about him. I try to keep us in a good mood as we have to deal with each other at least ten hours daily. It's bad enough Jessica is a pain in the ass for all of us, but to add Jacob's snotty attitude it really makes me mad!"

"He's a brat?"

"Well, it's just sometimes he acts like he was one who deserved to be the team leader. Tanya and Michael said they talked to him, and they cleared that I'm the one with the experience to lead the team. Hell, Tanya has more years litigating under her belt and she doesn't cause such a drama."

Bella got closer to Edward. "You know, I think he's jealous. You're about the same age, yet you get to lead a team. Your coworkers admire you,"

Edward shook his head. "Not Jessica."

"That bitter cow probably has a crush on you but you're unattainable. That's why she's bitter. But, I'm sure she holds you on a pedestal too."

"Nah. she only tolerates me because I'm her boss."

xxx

Rosalie opened the door to her house with tremblings hands. It would be just her luck to find Emmett was back home early. The door creaked but she was blissfully met with silence on the other side. She was alone.

For a second, she considered to get over to her bed and cry, but she had so much to accomplish before Emmett came back home.

She had an appointment with the lawyers at seven, so she had to move fast. First, to move her things out of their bedroom. Sure, she as the injured part, she felt it was right to keep the best room in the house; but in order to set her plan into fruition and surprise Emmett with the divorce papers, she had to move slowly. One thing she was sure was that she couldn't sleep in the same bed as him.

Once she moved her pj's and a few items to the spare bedroom, just enough to not make him suspicious, she took her dirty clothes to the laundry room. The hamper was almost full and her masochistic side made her rummage inside until she found what she was looking for. A shirt. A closer look gave her another proof of his betrayal. There were traces of lipstick and makeup.

"Urgh!"

Rose tried to tear the shirt apart, but it almost broke her nails and it wasn't worthy. What did her mother say? Don't get mad, get even. Right. So Rosalie went for a plastic bag, where she stashed the shirt. Maybe it won't count, but for her, this was exhibit A, makeup from the hoe.

Then she was fast to print the pictures Alice sent her. She was going to present her findings to the lawyers. Next, she went to change into a more professional set up, as she wanted to give a great first impression on the lawyers and to make Emmett believe she was busy at work. Now with everything ready, she went to the address Leah provided.

xxx

The offices were situated in a lavish building. The golden plate at the door stated that Limantour & Limantour Family law. She opened the door to be welcomed by a young blond man.

"Hi, I'm Rosalie McCarty. I'm here to see Mr. Limantour, my appointment is for six o'clock."

The blond man smiled and offered her to take a seat.

Not one minute later, a stunning red headed woman opened the door from the first office and welcomed Rose.

"Mrs. Mc Carty?" She asked Rose. "Please, come in. We're so glad to help you. Do you want a glass of water? A cup of coffee?"

The woman led Rose to a comfy couch as she called a blond man who brought a yellow pad and a few pens.

"We prefer to have our first meeting in this room. It's less serious and give us a chance to discuss the case in a more relaxed environment. Our offices are meant for when we're talking business." she winked at Rose.

The blond male introduced himself as Mr. James Limantour and the red headed woman was his wife, Victoria.

"Well, Mrs. McCarty, tell us what brings you here?"

"Well, hmm, I want to divorce my husband." She said in a very low voice. Victoria encouraged her to continue. "We've been having problems for a long time, and believe me, I tried to get him to come with me for couple's therapy, or at least to talk about it, but he doesn't want to. And well, I feel we lost something along the way. To make matters worst, and honestly what made me decide to take this step, was that I just found he's been unfaithful."

Victoria continued with the questions, making Rose feeling at ease while James jotted notes on his pad. It was clear they were a well-oiled team, because with just one glance, James made sure Victoria lead the questions to where he wanted.

Rose was almost in tears as she finished and Victoria discreetly passed her a box of tissues.

"Well, Mrs. McCarty."

"Call me Rose, please."

"Well, in our experience, a case like yours would be easy. Not only he betrayed your vows, but he also abused your confidence making use of your joint assets without consulting you. We can get you divorced without a problem if we shock him enough, we just need more information to get rolling our case and by next spring you could be a free woman."

Rose blinked surprised.

"Yes, we need the detail of your accounts, how much you make and how much he took, what part of the company belongs to him, who owns your house." James was counting with his fingers.

"It may sound too materialistic, but we found that in divorce as in the death of a family member, money becomes a very important issue and the main source of fights. We always set our plans to be prepared. We also think we may need undeniable proof of his infidelity. The shirt and the pictures are great, but maybe a video or something more incriminating. You can't picture the weird excuses some people find to try to hide their indiscretions. "

"We have a great private investigator," James added.

"No, I'd like to be the one who brings the video," Rose stated which shocked both lawyers.

"Are you sure, Rose?" Victoria asked concerned. This could hurt Rose, and she prided herself in making divorce the less difficult way for her clients.

"Now, I'm going to be honest. Sometimes after the effect of the impression of finding your trust was betrayed pass, people don't want to continue with the divorce procedures. We want you to be sure of this steps. Once we start, we usually are like bloodhounds following a prey. But, if at anytime you begin to feel doubts or feel uncomfortable, please come immediately to us. We are also very understanding. You come first."

"No. Honestly, catching him cheating was the stroke that broke the camel's back. We weren't fine before."

"Well, Rose. I'm sure we can help you, and I promise we'll do our best to leave your cheating husband in his shorts only."

xxx

Esme was tired of Carlisle 'I'm not mad' attitude. She knew he was angry, but he decided to not show it. so he went on with their life, and every time she tried to talk to him, he just said 'it was in the past'. But his morning was the last straw. When he left, he went to give her a goodbye kiss but he just put his cheek and kissed the air beside her. Enough was enough.

So she dressed herself to kill, took her bag and walked with certainty to the hospital.

Carmen was busy with a pile of files but smiled when she saw her.

"Oh my! You don't know how glad I am to see you."

Esme went to hug her in greeting.

"Oh Mrs. C! What a joy to see you!" Said a young doctor to her right. It took a few seconds for Esme to remember this was the rascal of the group, Seth. And a rascal indeed he was, he got closer and dropped to his knees.

"Mrs. C! Please have mercy on us. Whatever Dr. C did, I promise to keep an eye on him but please forgive him. I swear I'll check he eats all his vegetables but please, forgive him"

"Seth, stop with the theatrics." Carmen scolding came half-hearted.

"Is Carl giving you trouble?"

Aro came by to greet her and answered. "He's being a bit moody." He got closer to hug Esme.

"Moody? He kept me dealing with Mr. North and you know he is... The man shits the whole bed!" Esme just giggled at Seth's outrage, but soon she saw Carlisle coming yelling to a petite blond female doctor who left walking fast but as soon as she saw her, started to cry.

"See! Not even Maggie could stand him. And she has a cru... oops." Seth decided to shut his mouth.

Esme decided to put this guy out of his misery. She winked at him and walked to surprise Carlisle who was in deep thought reading a file.

"Hi baby!"

Carlisle jumped as he didn't expect an interruption. "Oh, sweetheart. How are you?"

Esme frowned as his welcome wasn't as warm as she was sued to. But that wasn't going to stop her. "I came to kidnap you for lunch."

"Oh! I'm not sure." He checked his watch and turned to her. "If we make it a fast one."

Esme was deterred to talk to him. And a look to the nurse's station where all of Carlisle's interns were standing with Aro and Carmen looking at her pleadingly, cemented her decision.

"No, I'm taking you out for lunch. Aro, when do you want Carlisle back?"

Her question was answered by a chorus of 'tomorrow' by the group of interns and Aro.

"So, it's decided. It's time I work some magic of my own to make my husband smile."


	14. Chapter 14

**Please, be patient with Rose. Her words are spoken out of anger and hurt.**

* * *

"Ok, grumpy doctor. Stop making your interns cry and follow me." Esme pulled the arm of Carlisle. He was still arguing he had to get back but Esme wouldn't give in.

"I'm taking you on a date because we need to talk." Carlisle was about to protest when she shut him up with a kiss. "I really love you but sometimes you get on my nerves. Now move!"

She guided him to the dinner two blocks away from the hospital, a place well known for the staff. Not a place where she wanted to have this conversation with Carlisle. God knows how much gossip goes around that Esme wasn't privy. No need to give them something to talk about.

"You know what? I think I'm in the mood of Indian. Come, I brought my car."

The restaurant had the perfect set up for a private conversation. The tables weren't close to each other, the sweet music throbbing from some hidden speakers was loud enough to give you the mood but low enough to have a conversation without raising your voice. But Esme was having problems making Carlisle acknowledge something was bothering him.

"I told you, I'm fine. Sure it bothered me how you threw away all my efforts for a nice weekend, but if I'm honest, the main reason for said weekend was to make you more amenable to the new car."

Esme scrunched her nose. She really wasn't angry about the car.

"Well, it wouldn't be my first choice, but I understand you. God! If I made you change it I swear Felix will never forgive me."

"Neither Joham." Carlisle chuckled. "Even Bree would love to drive it if she wasn't pregnant."

"Yet, you're still distant." Esme pointed out, which brought a sigh from Carlisle.

"I'm worried about other things. Really."

"Aha." Esme still didn't buy it.

"You wanna make it up to me?" Carlisle had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

xxx

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Esme asked Rose while rubbing her back. She was still hurting from last day escapade. She found that the Audi TT wasn't made for a little sexcapade as she hurt her back and Carlisle strained one of his leg's muscles. Still, it was fun to christen the backseat of the new car.

But today she was chatting with her friends on the counter inside one of Alice's stores. The store that happened to be in the same mall Emmett and his crew were working. They offered to accompany Rose after she told them her plan to get Emmett on tape

"Yes. These past nights with him at the same house were... 'eye opening'." Rose sighed. "How could it be that we argued less when I just left a plate of dinner in the kitchen waiting for him and got myself locked up in my new bedroom 'studying'? He just doesn't care as long as his basic needs are fulfilled!"

Esme held Rose's hand. They arrived at three, knowing the crew just finished their lunch time. Bella decided to remain inside Carlisle's old car, keeping an eye on the trailer. They were sure Emmett would stay after the crew left as he called Rosalie in the morning to let her know he wouldn't be coming for dinner.

"I mean, sure I'm supposed to cook and clean, I'm the wife after all. But as you know, I'm not just a maid, I thought we were partners." Rose said between sobs.

"Rose, you know it doesn't work like that." Esme was worried of the path Rose's thoughts were taking.

"But that's how I feel! It's like he only expects to have dinner served and my legs opened whenever he wants!"

Esme hugged Rose who started to cry again. Alice was fast by their side with tissues and it turned into a group hug.

"Sorry guys. I don't know what's happening to me. I was never like this."

Alice smiled. "Yeah, you're usually driven and fight any obstacle to get what you set your heart for. Now, are you ready to kick Emmett's ass? Because Bella said he's dismissing the rest of his crew for the day."

xxx

Any other day Rose would find it hilarious. A group of women, dressed in what they believed were 'camouflage clothes', walking fast and stopping 'hiding' behind every column on the way. The group got closer to the car, looking around, the clear picture of guilt. Stealth wasn't a quality they shared, but Bella had enough balls to not be fazed by their lack of discretion. They were on a mission. Bella called them to the car, got them inside and then she ran out to get closer to the trailer. Not even one minute later, she came back running. She heard something.

"He's inside with a man. They're closing for the day because some jackass inspector needs to approve their next step. But I heard he said he was going out for the day."

And it was true. Emmett and the man were coming out from the trailer.

"Bend down!"

They barely hide from Emmett and the other guy. Emmett walked to his car, whistling some catchy song which made Rose to growl.

"That was our song. 'I'm a believer'. It was what he sang to me on our first date. He said it always reminded him of me. Stupid asshole."

Emmett started his car and left.

"So how are we going to do this?" Esme asked.

"I may have attached a little something to his car," Bella smiled showing them the package of the new tiny GPS Tanya provided for her. "Someone else used one of this with my friend Tanya and well, I thought to steal the idea."

xxx

Half an hour later, they found Emmett was parked in one one of the shittiest parts of town. They were worried to leave Carlisle's old Mercedes parked on the street, but Bella found a Target nearby and offered to park the car while the others followed Emmett.

Soon they found Emmett got inside a run down two stories building, and thankfully they heard the door of the first-floor opening. Rose was fast to walk to the nearest window, letting Esme and Alice to cover her as if they were talking, giving her the chance to look inside. And what an eyeful she got.

A blond skinny woman welcomed him with slippers at the door and an opened beer. Then she guided him to one tiny table, not before taking his jacket and the little briefcase he was holding in his hand.

"What a crock of bull!" Alice whispered.

"Shh!"

Rose looked with rapt attention how Emmett opened the button of his pants and let a loud burp out, which prompted the woman to giggle.

The woman began to bring dishes to the table and at every turn she caressed Emmett's bicep and cooed something to him. She went out of the room and came back with a pot of something that by the odor Rose identified as chili.

Rose patience was wearing thin, firstly he was whistling HER song on the way to his whore house, then the bitch dares to cook him chili! The same chili the doctor forbid as spices hurt his stomach and left him with diarrhea. Great! She feeds him, reaps the benefits and Rose was left with the flatulence!

But the worst was about to start.

Emmett pushed the blond woman down the table and opened her legs brusquely. At least he was more careful with Rose, well, most of the times. In a matter of seconds, she heard the moans and decided to leave because knowing Emmett, it would be over in a few seconds.

She wasn't aware when Bella arrived and took the camera from her hands to film them. She just turned around and left.

xxx

"Should I follow her?" Esme asked, walking fast to reach Rose who looked like she was in a trance.

"She's totally faking it. I mean, those are porn moans." Alice whispered. "Do you think they noticed us watching?"

"Nah. I even pushed the window open a bit to get a bit of sound," Bella answered, shocking Alice with her audacity. "Relax! It was open, I just pushed it a bit."

"I don't understand, Rose is so much better that this woman in every aspect! Rose is like caviar and this one is rotten fish."

"Maybe he knows what he deserves." Bella shrugged her shoulders. She was very proud of what she was taping, definitive proof of Emmet's infidelity. A few more moans and that woman's questioning Emmett if she was better than his wife. So she was completely aware he was married!

"And he burped in her face! Gross. How could she stand him?" Alice whispered

"He never acted like that with Rose, well, before."

Meanwhile, Esme reached Rose.

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. A part of me is livid with anger, but another refuses to believe that was Emmett. I mean, physically, he looks like Emmett, but he isn't the same man I married."

"Hun, you know you can cry. We're here with you, whatever you need from us..."

Rose sighed. "Keep me away from sharp objects, maybe hammers and guns too."

"Sure." Esme cooed.

"You know what bothered me the most. It isn't like he's wooing her. I mean, burping and loosening your pants as soon as you get home those are things that come with time. But I know for sure he hired her just the past month!"

"Oh, do you know her?"

"Yeah, I helped him with some paperwork when he hired her. Her name is Lauren Mallory, 26. Supreme homewrecker and obviously one of the easiest floozies around. No wonder he wants me to still help him with the paperwork. The bitch spends her workday opening her legs!"

xxx

Rose decided to get home. Emmett would get back late at night and it would give her time to unwind. Of course, the girls argued. In their opinion, Rose wasn't in the right set of mind to wallow in her sadness alone. But Rose was determined to sulk on her own.

Before anything, she called her lawyers to let them know she got a video that clearly showed Emmett's infidelity. After hearing a few soothing words from Victoria, she promised to deliver the video the next day, as they already had a plan.

She hung up as Victoria's last words kept repeating in her mind, 'In a matter of weeks you'll be a free woman'. So her life becomes to this. She would be no longer Rosalie McCarty, but she would go back to Rosalie Hale. Why so much change with one single word?

She reflected on her marriage. The good times, where she and Emmett made an effort to go to the movies every Friday night and then get a beer on their way back. She smiled remembering how he never tired to thank her for loving action films, as he barely stood 'chick flicks'. Though she took him to a few, as she had to keep him on his toes. Does Lauren watch girly films? Meh, as long as Emmett burps in her face, Rose was sure she would watch the goriest film.

But what does she had that Rose didn't?

She went to the mirror. Sure, Rose knew she was beautiful, not that she was vain. She knew she turned heads when she walked by. It was a blessing as Rose wasn't so obsessed with her image. She daily used makeup and loved a nice dress, but she wasn't as girly as her sister. She was a tomboy, who now was used to professional clothes and jeans on the weekends.

While she was changing to her pj's she gave herself a meticulous look in the mirror. What was wrong with her? She lifted her boobs on her hands and dropped them, but they weren't saggy. They had the appropriate bounce for someone her age. Then she went to look at her abs, frowning at the little pouch she found. But you couldn't call it a gut. Then she turned around, her ass was firm but cellulitis appeared on her tights. Did Lauren had cellulitis? She looked too thin to have it.

"Urgh! No!" Rose threw the closest pillow to the mirror. "I can't start doubting myself."

Tired of her musings, she went to the bathroom cabinet and took the cold medicine bottle. "I need to sleep."

xxx

At two o'clock in the morning, Emmett opened the door of her room. All he noticed was Rosalie deeply asleep. He sighed and got closer to her, kissing her head.

"I surely need to stop this. Lauren is getting clingy and Rose doesn't deserve it." He whispered, looking at Rose with so much love in his eyes.

"Get out Emmett! I'm too tired." Rose murmured, still asleep and unaware of what Emmett said.

* * *

 **Hi!**

 **Sorry for taking so long. May turned out to be one difficult month where many bad things happened. In my country, we have a phrase that says something like 'the only thing left is for a dog piss on me',when everything that could turn wrong happens; last month was that bad.**

 **Anyway, I'm back and I hope you liked this chapter. Give me your opinion, please.**

 **May**


	15. Chapter 15

Rose woke up with a hell of a headache. It was always the same with cold medicine but God, it made her sleep. She vaguely remembered Emmett coming to see her, but she was glad he left. His mere presence made her feel dirty.

After a relaxing shower and two cups of coffee, she felt ready to face the day. The first stop was the lawyer's office.

The same young blond man of the other day was sitting at the reception desk and offered her a coffee while she waited which Rose accepted. She was still drowsy and she knew she had to be completely awake to deal with the lawyers.

Soon enough, Victoria opened the door of her office, a couple of men coming out and thanking her for her help. She turned around and smiled when she noticed Rose.

"Give me a second Mrs. McCarty. I'll be with you in a moment."

Rose saw the easiness which Victoria displayed, setting a date with the men, getting the young receptionist to get copies of a file and letting the men know, he would deliver the copies by lunch.

"Ok, Mrs. McCarty, come in."

Rose started to feel jittering as the moment to share the video was coming closer. Bella told her she filmed five more minutes than what Rose witnessed, and she was scared to see what she got in those five minutes.

"How are you? Are you feeling better?"

"Hmm, I'm feeling fine. It's just..."

"Yeah, getting that video was hard. I know." Victoria gave her a sympathetic smile. "Maybe that cemented your resolution."

"Oh, that certainly did. I was completely sure, but after watching... I'm sure to follow with this."

Rose gave a flash memory to Victoria, who took it immediately to her computer.

"Before I watch this, I want to ask you, is there something you don't want me to see? I can stop the video, or not use it if you don't want it."

"No. Go ahead. I couldn't stay watching, so one friend filmed the rest. But what I watched was enough to prove his infidelity."

"Then why don't we start showing you the plan we designed? It will keep your mind from the video."

"Sure, why not?"

xxx

"Well, now that we can prove his infidelity, we have to focus on the monetary side. I'm so glad to see your name is on the deed of the house, it saves us a lot of time. You told me you feared he would throw you out of your house, believe me, he can't. Though you are within your right to ask him to leave. It's fair. Now about the construction company, though it is completely in his name, you had fronted the money for many projects through the years. We found interesting that as soon as you got a promotion, therefore, an increment in your salary, he ventured in bigger projects. He depended on your money as a back-up. This kind of made you half-owner and we can settle this in court easily. So we're thinking that installing cameras could be beneficial, to watch any wrongdoings. We found that he withdrew more money than what he used for said projects. Do you have an idea why he did it? More women? Could he be having gambling problems or..."

"No, I'm sure it was for his mother," Rose said, shaking her head. That damn woman will be finally out of her life.

Suddenly, Rosalie felt overwhelmed as bits and pieces of Victoria's plan of action felt like they were too much. "Get him to sign over his share of the business..." Whoa! "maybe a post-nuptial agreement..." That one doesn't seem too bad, "... in the case of divorce, if anyone has been unfaithful they forfeit all assets..." that wouldn't work unless he believed she cheated on him too, "... he can't contest it at all."

Rose offered to think about it; she found the plan really expensive and parts of it seemed to mesh with her plans to surprise Emmett with the divorce papers, but it also would give him a good lesson. She really had to think about it.

"If you think it's too much, just think what is what you really want to get out of the divorce apart from separate you from your husband. Think what you really want to concede and you can't or won't let him have. That would be great for negotiations."

xxx

Esme walks around her home, picking up the trash inside every room. Despite being well off, Esme prided herself in keeping her house clean. She was very specific on the way someone must clean a house, so much that even her own kids were annoyed. But Carlisle was as picky as her, so it wasn't a problem. Bree would have been helping, but Esme was giving her a chance for the day as she still was under the weather and suffering from morning sickness.

When Esme passed in front of a window, she looked out and smiled. Things with Carlisle were so much better now.

"Ok, what's going on?" Bree asked her. She was sitting on the couch watching mindless TV morning shows.

"Uh?"

"Every time you pass in front of a window, you sigh and get that wistful smile. So, what's going on?" Bree demanded. Seeing that her mother was still speechless, Bree got up and walked to stand by her mother's side. She looked through the window and noticed that the thing Esme watched with so much intensity was the car. The car where Esme and Carlisle got an impromptu ride a few days ago...

"Mo-om! You didn't?" Bree turned around and found Esme blushing. "You and Dad are exhibitionists! You couldn't wait to christen that car. Probably that's one of the reasons why Dad bought it."

Esme nodded and sighed again. Was it wrong that she cherished those moments with her loving husband?

"I really, really, really hope you cleaned it thoroughly. You know, Joham drove it to the grocery store this very morning." Bree smiled. "You're so lucky Felix is at college, he would cry if he knew. He still thinks you and Dad only did it two times to conceive us. Maybe if I give him a hint of what the car may or may not witnessed..."

xxx

Alice came home to find Cynthia chasing Peter.

"What's going on?"

Peter burst out laughing and sings

"Cynthia and Martin sitting on a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g" Peter sang merrily.

"No, he isn't my boyfriend!" Cyn was fast to push Peter to make him shut up.

Alice just stood with her mouth forming an O. Luckily Jasper was closer and sent Peter to throw the trash from the bedrooms.

"Cynthia just found an admirer," Jasper said wiggling his brows, but Cynthia huffed.

"Not you too, Dad! Besides, I don' like him. He just came up last week and started to say he was my boyfriend. It was so embarrassing!"

"Hey, you didn't mention that! Is he stalking you?" Jasper asked concerned.

"No, well, I think he just does it to annoy me."

"Yet, I found him at our porch leaving a stuffed bear," Jasper added lifting the aforementioned toy.

"And you made a point of show him your plastic taser gun." Cynthia giggled.

"Really?" Alice asked, still digesting the news. That taser gun was part of last Halloween's costumes.

"Cyn made a face of disgust when she saw him," Jasper said, shrugging his shoulders.

"And he believed it was real?"

"Sure. The blue light still works. He almost peed his pants."Jasper was giggling just like Cynthia.

"Yeah, let's see what he does tomorrow at school. Hey, did you call your mother? She sent me a text."

"Yeah, uncle Roscow still doesn't remember her. She wants us to pray for him as she feels he won't last 'til next month. She had one of those dreams where he was happy and frolicking with his parents so now she's sure he will pass away soon."

Cynthia came and hugged Jasper. "Well, it doesn't hurt to pray. I really hope he doesn't suffer."

xxx

Edward came home early, he couldn't bear that damn headache. Sadly, he was notified on his way home that the plaintiff attorney demanded a tour of the facilities where the 'damaged' product was manufactured. So wrong for a few cat toys with loose screws. Sadly, that was the main source for class action lawsuits... two or three damaged products that caused mass hysteria between the sixteen costumers of the gaudy cat's castle. Clearly, at first look, not the case which would raise him from the rest of the cast of lawyers; but by mere insanity, this case turned out to become the class action of the year. Who would have thought that the less known branch of Volturi & Carson would become the most demanding?

Bella checked on him, and she didn't think it was a migraine. As a matter of fact, she believed what Edward needed was a new set of glasses. But to convince him to get his eyes tested will be a pain in the ass. Edward hated to use glasses.

So after a quiet dinner, they settled on the bed. Edward's head laid on Bella's lap as she massaged his temple.

"And I need to call them to make sure those arrangements are done." Edward pouted. The last thing he wanted was to go away.

"Why don't you send someone else? What if Jacob goes?"

"That's my intention, but apparently my presence is required. I have an idea, I'll call them and you help me to determine their mood with the news."

"Let me guess, Jessica and Jacob will whine, Tanya will find something to tease you..."

"No, I really want you to get a read on Jacob. Let's see what he really thinks of this chance to prove himself."

Edward was fast to call his office, with Jessica answering at the second ring.

"Good afternoon, Edward. How are you feeling?"

"A bit better. Could you please put us on the speaker, this is something I want all of you to hear."

"Sure." They heard how Jessica called the others and soon they all greeted Edward.

"As I mentioned earlier in the morning, a couple of us will have to travel for a few days to supervise the visit of the Emerson team to the factory." His words were met with silence.

"I think this will be a good chance for you, Jacob, to get your negotiation skills to work. What do you think? We leave in a week, from Thursday to Sunday."

Jacob was speechless, so Edward continued. "Jessica, I want you to book our plane tickets and the hotel room. You know how to access the expenses account."

"Sure. Do you want e to help with anything else? I can also arrange for a rental car."

"So, do you all agree? Will you manage without us for a few days?"

"Are you kidding me? to not see your ugly mug for a few days? I call it heaven." Tanya joked, making Bella get that smug smile knowing she was right.

"Thanks, Edward. I'll show you what a great asset I'm for the team." Jacob muttered though he didn't sound sincere.

Fifteen minutes later, after really thinking about what she heard, Bella finally gave her opinion.

"You're right. For me, it sounds like he's not happy with the chance. I mean, I don't think he's supposed to be eternally grateful, but maybe showing enthusiasm or giving ideas. And Jessica was utterly compliant, that isn't her style."

"Maybe she's on that time of the month?" Edward said and Bella threw him a pillow.

* * *

Hi!

I'd like to thank lovely frostedglaze for her devious plan to rip Emmett from everything legally, though I'm sure I butchered it when I wrote it on the story. So, what do you think?


	16. Chapter 16

_Now I'm walking on sunshine, whoa_  
 _I'm walking on sunshine, whoa_  
 _I'm walking on sunshine, whoa_  
 _And don't it feel good_  
 _Hey, all right now_  
 _And don't it feel good_  
 _Hey, yeah_

Jane smiled as her pupils got their groove on the hall floor. Her eighties classes always did.

"Aaannnd... that's it! Good job girls!"

Everybody clapped, the class ended on a high note.

"Well, as I told you at the beginning, I have news. I just found out I'm pregnant..." Jane said while all the women at the dance hall clapped and cheered. "So while I can continue to give you classes, I need to lower my levels of activity. So by your next class, you'll meet my new assistant, Gianna. I'll guide the class but she's going to show you some new moves and help you with your posture. She's an excellent asset who worked previously with us, but she also had her baby two years ago and decided to take a rest from Zumba but she's ready to come back and she got the perfect timing."

After a few more cheers and a chorus of congratulations, the class was finally over.

Bella was fast to pick up her things and change, but not fast enough to avoid certain Jacob Black. She was glad he was absent lately, but maybe Edward wasn't delegating enough work to him if Jacob had time to come to the gym.

"Hi Be... Mrs. Masen. May I have a word with you?"

Bella didn't want to be rude, but she made sure Esme was right behind her. No way she would face him completely alone, he always gave her the creeps.

"Sure."

"Did Edward mention the visit to the factory to you?"

"Yeah, he's not too enthused but if it's necessary..."

"Well, hmm, do you think is a good idea for me to go?"

Bella was a bit surprised about the question. She thought he would be delighted to get a chance to stand out.

"Of course, I think so. I suggested Edward it was a good chance for you to get experience and show your worth."

Jacob beamed at her statement.

"Thanks, I'll follow your advice then." He waved to the other girls and left. His mind was busy with a very misconstrued idea... 'She asked Edward to take me! Se's thinking of my future!'

Of course, that wasn't what Bella meant. But she never got the chance to realize her mistake because the younger college girls who crushed on Jacob got jealous.

"Hey! Keep your old cougar claws out of our man!" The tallest said, trying to look intimidating to Bella.

"Excuse me?" Bella didn't know if correct her or laugh. The mere idea of trying to get closer to Jacob was ludicrous!

"You heard her. He would never go for someone like you when he can have us." A perky blond skipped to where Bella was standing.

Bella just looked at them, all naive and inexperienced. She couldn't hold it anymore, she burst out laughing.

"Oh my God! You believe Jacob and me..." she couldn't speak as she was laughing so much. "Let me clear something for you. He works with my husband, who is his boss. Whatever attention he displays for me is a mere kiss-ass for my husband."

The girls looked between themselves, didn't believing what Bella said. In their minds, it was impossible that a fine specimen like him would lust over a frumpy, fat-ass, old woman. The fact that Bella laughed at them made it worst.

"Well, if it's so, get your claws off him. If he goes for someone, it would be one of us." One brunette with freckles on her nose said, standing straighter so her boobs looked more prominent.

Bella started to tell them off when Rosalie got closer in all her bitchy glory.

"So you think you're better suited for the brawny man, right?" She walked around the girls, looking at them up and down and quirking a brow as she found them lacking. "Well, let me start saying that you don't even know his name and my friend over here has the bad luck of knowing it."

"Duh! He works with her husband." Perky blond said.

"Yet, he haven't come close to any of you, right? and you're calling her cougar when she a bit younger than him!"

That rendered the girls mute, they couldn't fathom Jacob was that 'old', as they saw Bella at least ten years older than them.

"Before you say something that could possibly embarrass you, let me tell you a secret. She has something you don't... 'savoir-faire'. Google it. And that only comes with time. Think about it." Rose winked at them and pulled Bella out of the room.

xxx

"You're crazy Rose! Now those morons will think I'm pinning over Jacob!" Bella cried in anguish.

"No. They are going to step up their game. And maybe we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Rose, you're brilliant!" Alice said.

"How?" Bella still didn't understand.

"Jacob is way too vain. Haven't you see how he looks at himself while he's doing his reps."

"Yes, he has that look that says 'I'm too hot and I know it, I would so fuck myself if I was you'," Esme added her two cents in an awful attempt at a male voice.

"So he gets those chicks to fawn all over him, they don't bother you anymore and maybe, you can get rid of an admirer if he finally put those girls out of their misery." Rose finished.

"You're devious, you know?" Bella smiled at Rose. "Can I tell you something?" Bella took Rose hand in hers. "I'm glad to have you back."

"Yeah!"Alice beamed. "You're back to confident 'I-do-not-take-shit-from-anybody' Rose!"

"Really?" Rose blushed.

"Sure. I think you're going in the right direction, hun." Esme patted Rose hand too. "Can I tell you something too, Bella?"

Bella nodded with curiosity.

"This time, you're taking it better. The news of someone's pregnancy." Esme said. "Don't think I didn't notice how the smile in your eyes faded when you heard the news of Bree. I'm sorry I wasn't tactful that day, but this time, you were beaming for Jane."

"I think I'm also moving on," Bella smiled. "Irish coffee for everyone! We need to celebrate!"

xxx

Two hours later, Rose arrived at her home. Emmett was already there.

"Great. Just the day I've finally got to feel good." Rose whispered.

"Hi, baby. Look, I thought we could have dinner together." Emmett said. When he got closer to Rose and tried to kiss her she turned around.

"Hmm, thanks. Let me hang my clothes." She pushed by his side and walked fast to her bedroom.

Emmett, who usually would be claiming how inconsiderate of Rose was to leave him like this, just sighed and went to their kitchen. This wasn't the warm welcome he planned. He finally accepted they were in dire need of therapy and was about to ask Rose to schedule the counseling. But to find Rose so cold...

"Baby, how was your day?" He put the delicious tray of shepherd's pie into the oven. It was one of Rose's favorites and he was lucky enough to get the last one from her favorite restaurant.

"Good. Our Zumba instructor just told us she's pregnant." Rose answered from her bedroom, while changing her clothes.

"Oh." Emmett didn't know if it was good or not.

"She and her husband been trying for years, so we got to our usual coffee and celebrated." She said, walking to the kitchen covered in her 'period pj's'. They covered her and were so comfortable.

"Look, I brought you your favorite." He tried to hold her but she took a step back.

"Err, thanks. It was nice of you." Rose was fast to get plates and whatever she thought would get her time: napkins, cutlery, sodas. She really wasn't in the mood to talk to Emmett.

"Rose," Suddenly Emmett was right behind her, trapping her between his body and the kitchen table. "What's going on? Are you still stressed about your course? Do you really have to go to those classes? You can quit, you know? Now that this mall project is going on well, we have a little chance if you want to stay at home."

Emmett really was clueless. Rose didn't know where to start to explain how wrong were his words. Besides, he was acting like they were fine!

"Look, Emmett, I appreciate the effort. But honestly, this was the first day in I don't know how many, that you're home early. The last time we talked, we didn't leave on good terms."

"That's why I did this! I'd like to try to make things better between us." He dared to say with pleading eyes.

Rose just shook her head. "No, it doesn't work like that."

He tried to take her hands but she batted his hands away.

"Emmett!"

"What? I'm trying! I know we have problems, and I know that I've been a jerk. I'm trying to change! I'm trying to get us back to how we were before. Besides, you can't put all the blame on me. You've been awfully cold. Always busy with your 'work' and your 'classes'. You even changed bedrooms! What, you don't want to sleep with me anymore?"

Rose just looked at him with a blank face. She was just about to blurt out she knew about Lauren, but she contained herself. Emmett took her silence for something different.

"So, you don't want to sleep with me anymore? Am I that disgusting? Because let me tell you, being with you hadn't been all roses and rainbows. You're always tired or in a bad mood. You push me away at any chance you have. You don't want to cuddle anymore, you don't tell me about your day except when it's about a new promotion. You're getting too ambitious and I'm feeling left out when you always think about your career." Emmett walked around the kitchen table, kicking and knocking any chair on his way.

"Yeah, so tell me, why when I asked how you were feeling you said 'you were fine'? Eh! You were 'fine'! So don't come and tell me I was the cold one. You were rude, insensitive, plainly rude. You forgot to ask how I felt. So don't come and put the blame on me." Rose took a couple of steps closer, still wary of him.

"And what about now? I came here early, your favorite dinner in hand, ready to romance you all night long; just to find the house alone. And how do you welcome me? You push me away! I'm trying to get things right! I'm ready to go to couple's counseling! Wasn't that what you wanted? Eh?" By now, Emmett was right in front of Rose, towering over her.

"Emmett, what I want... no, need right now is space. I wanted couple's counseling a few weeks ago, now, I need time to think and space." She had her hand over his chest, trying to push him away.

Emmett noticed something different in Rose this time, something he couldn't name. So he did something unexpected: he nodded and walked back to the loneliness of his room.

* * *

So, what do you think?

The song at the beginning is 'Walking on sunshine' by Katrina and the waves.


	17. Chapter 17

xxx

Rose spent the next day lost in thought. By now, Emmett realized their problems were too deep and despite his best efforts to talk to her, he respected her request for space.

At lunch on Wednesday, Bella made the toughest question... ok, she was divorcing him so what does she wanted to do next?

It wasn't a question easy to answer as the answer depended on many decisions she needed to take. For starters, which way to go? The angry Rose in her wanted to leave Emmett with nothing, to take everything and she could do it. But at what cost? Months of court dates, facing him and his mother, who was already calling her asking for help; worst, what if she have to face the hoe? Was it worth it?

Then the other option, the easiest one, was to leave. To just ask him to sign the papers and move on. But, something inside of her yelled that it wasn't fair. Apart from her heart, hopes, and illusions, Rose invested a lot of time and money on her marriage. To just forget about it, she felt it was unfair. He cheated, he took her money and he gets to have everything. No, that wasn't the best option.

So now what?

Deep inside, Rose worst fear was to resort to moving into Bella's home, as she already offered. So why don't fight for the house? Emmett could keep his construction business, it wasn't something Rose wanted. But the house ... with that kitchen built just like Rose wanted, and her fantastic shower system...

No, she was going to keep the house.

Just to get her ideas straight, she called her mother. Twenty minutes of venting and she offered to come to stay for a few days. Rose's sister was already booking the flight. At least Rose had her family's support. It made her feel a lot better to know she wouldn't be facing Emmett alone.

Next, Rose called Victoria, who already had almost ready the divorce papers. Victoria asked Rose to come by next Monday to pick up the final draw of the divorce papers. In that moment Rose realized her marriage was really over and now it was like a great burden was lifted from her.

xxx

That night the weather went crazy. The worst storm in years happened, and the hail wasn't letting Esme get some very needed sleep. Carlisle, bless him, slept like the dead, and his soft snores weren't helping. Finally tired of moving around her side of the bed, Esme decided to get down to the kitchen for some tea.

Before going down the stairs, she passed over Bree's room where she heard someone snoring inside. At least they were getting sleep too.

Once she got to the stairs, she heard faint sobs coming from the kitchen, which surprised her. Maybe Bree was feeling emotional again...

Her motherly instinct got in gear and she ran to the kitchen only to find that the person crying in the solitude of the night wasn't Bree, it was Joham.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat to let him know someone arrived. Joham just lifted his face from the table and sighed.

"Sorry Esme. It wasn't my intention to wake you up."

"Oh, no. It was the rain. The hail is falling right into my window and the noise became a bit too much for me. Hmm, can I offer you a tea?"

Joham nodded and was fast to wipe his nose with a tissue.

"You know you can talk to me, you're part of the family." Esme worried of the motive that made her son in law cry. "Are you homesick?"

Joham shook his head. "Not really. It's just... I feel so overwhelmed."

Esme had her back to him, knowing he probably found difficult to share his feelings with her. He was always stoic and strong, whereas Bree was the one to burst out laughing or crying or screaming.

"Well, moving back here was a big change."

"It wasn't only the move. Don't take this wrong, I'm so happy we're pregnant; but we didn't plan for this to happen for a couple of years."

Esme knew it troubled Bree at the beginning. When she called to let her know she thought she was pregnant, Bree was so scared.

"It's normal. No one it's really prepared, but it always turns out a blessing in the end."

"Oh! I'm not complaining. I'm ecstatic for our baby. It's all the changes inherent to the pregnancy. I knew Bree wanted to come back to the States to have our baby here, even before we got pregnant. And I support her because let's face it, back in Germany, we didn't would have the same kind of support from my family that we have here. My parents are nice but no so affectionate."

Esme had a faint memory of Joham parents. Like he said they were nice people, just very dry and not touchy-feely like her.

"But as we planned for this to happen later, we didn't make the necessary provisions. I-I I feel like I'm mooching on you and it makes me feel awful. I'm a doctor for Christ sake! I should be able to support my wife and my baby!"

"Oh, Joham! You know it isn't a problem for us. I like to have you here."

"I know, and I don't want to seem ungrateful. But I was raised to take the responsibility for my actions, and I feel I'm acting like a teenager again. Depending on your husband to give good word of my work, despite not really knowing it, just because the transfer I wanted will take months to be authorized."

"He did it gladly. Joham, he trusted you with his daughter, if that doesn't say 'I know you're a good man' I don't know what would."

"And well, I should be happy he helped me to find a job so quickly, but the amount of money we are spending, it will take me months to finally get our own home. I don't want to rely on the sale of our home in Germany because it will take time, but if it happens..."

"You shouldn't worry. I'm glad to have you here. Even before you arrived, I prepared a nursery. You don't have an idea of how happy we are to have you both here."

Joham seemed to say something else but then he thought better about it.

"Look, how many bedrooms do you think this house have?"

"Erm, six?" Joham answered shyly.

"Exactly. This house is gigantic! We have enough room for ourselves and our kids and their kids, and let me tell you we bought it when Bree was in high school. Do you know why wanted something this big?"

"Hmm, no?"

"Because I want a home where my kids and their families can come to stay. I love to have my family around. I'm hoping for many grandkids, ad I want everybody to have their own space in or house. This is the Cullen family house, and now you are a Cullen, so you have room in our house for you."

The look of gratitude on Joham's face warmed Esme's heart. It seemed that a mother's work never ends but it felt so good to be capable of lifting his spirits.

xxx

"Sure Analise. I'll tell him as soon as he arrives."

Alice hung up and cried. It was Jasper's mother, who called to tell her Uncle Roscow got worst. They thought he wouldn't live to see the next morning.

"Mo-om! Cyn is hogging the bathroom again. She's been there for an hour and I want to... Mom, are you crying?" Peter stopped mid-rant. What was making his mother cry?

Alice tried to compose herself quickly. "It's nothing baby. Let me hurry Cyn."

But Peter wasn't that little kid you could distract anymore. "Mom?"

"Uncle Roscow got worst. How am I gonna tell Jasper?" And she burst into tears.

Peter hugged her fiercely. "Shh, shh. It's going to be fine Mom. Uncle Roscow had a wonderful life. Just focus on the good times, Mom. I promise I'll tell Dad."

xxx

On Friday, Bella walked to the building that held 'Volturi & Carson' corporative offices with a lilt on her step. She had a date with her husband! Well, more like in her efforts to get him to check his sight, he accepted as long as could take her later to dinner because he had a surprise for her. She didn't have an idea of what kind of surprise, but she was hoping for a few days on a beach. Edward was getting too pale and thin.

When she arrived at his office, she found everybody seated, reading a pile of papers with a scowl on their faces.

"Hmm, hi!"

Usually, she was greeted with more enthusiasm. Now all she got was a wave from Tanya.

"What's going on?" She asked when she got closer to Tanya.

"The IT guys were supposed to sort a list with the complaints from one of the plaintiffs. It seems we have a team of professional complainants that looove to sue when a product doesn't reach their standards." Tanya smiled sardonically. "Apparently, we have to sort their complaints from these piles of registers."

Bella lifted her eyes to Edward's office, he was coming out, carrying another pile and was arguing with someone over the phone. He barely had the chance to mouth 'I'm sorry' when he started another argument with the caller.

"Tan, do you have those registers on file?"

Tanya pointed to the papers.

"Hmm, no. You said the IT guys were going to help, do you have access to the database with the information?"

Tanya guided Bella to Edward's office, where not even five minutes later, Bella had the information sorted. She was surrounded by Leah, Michael, and Tanya, who were asking for any combination of data they thought they would need.

"Ok, I'm sending you the spreadsheets with the data you required. I guess this way will be easier to work with." Then Bella turned around. Leah and Michael were clapping because now they could go home. Tanya stood cursing those damn guys from IT that didn't have five minutes to sort the information. Jessica was glaring, but that was pretty normal. Jacob was almost drooling, and it bothered her. But what made her heart beat faster, was the look of pride in Edward's eyes.

"So, now that this is over, let's go we have a date." Bella


	18. Chapter 18

The class that Tuesday became a headache for Bella. No matter where she stood, Jacob's fan club found a way to upset her. Whether it was with not so quiet whispers badmouthing her, tiny pushes, cold glares that probably would have bothered her more if she wasn't so elated after her date with Edward and the wonderful weekend afterward.

Just the memories brought a smile to her face. They needed some time just to be themselves.

The bad news, at least for Edward, were he needed thicker glasses. But the good news was that the case was almost over. That brought such joy to Bella, who was worried her husband was getting sick. Edward told her that this visit to the company facilities was the last chance for their opponents to try to win the case because only one of the plaintiffs was really affected by the product.

So Edward promised Bella to take her to a cruise to the Bahamas in three weeks when the case would be finally over. Bella didn't find a problem asking for the whole week for vacation. What had her elated, was that they decided to talk about the one issue they've been avoiding for the last year, the loss of their baby. Bella felt like she was ready to try again, as she knew Edward was dying to become a father.

The class ended, and when the music stopped, perky blond's voice could be heard, saying 'clothes inappropriate for her age'.

Bella knew they were talking about her, and instead of getting angry, like any other twenty-seven year old would do to such inane comment in regards her age, she decided to become proactive.

Jacob Black as always came by to greet her, but this time, Bella didn't try to hide. No, sir. She walked over to him and cheerily greeted him.

"Hi, Jacob? How are you doing?"

Her cheerfulness elated Jacob who as always misconstrued her words as some weird kind secret code to say 'I want you'.

"Excellent now that I saw you, Bella." His bright smile could light the whole gym and it didn't go unnoticed to his fan club.

"Well, let me introduce you to a few of my classmates. This is..." Bella said while pointing to perky blond, who barely managed to spew her name and lift her hand so Jacob could shake it.

"Samantha."

"And this is..."

"Juliet."

"So now all of you are friends. See you."

Bella turned around and left all flabbergasted. It was a shame all her friends were so distracted today. As she left the gym, she heard the girls asking Jacob to accompany them fro drinks on Friday, which he declined as he had to go with Edward to that facility visit.

xxx

"So Bree, why don't you talk to Joham about how much you love the nursery?"

Esme didn't how to let Bree know about Joham's concerns. She had been distracted by the issue, because sometimes she felt like while Joham was trying to give Bree the world, Bree wasn't showing a bit of empathy to his efforts. Esme didn't raise a self-centered girl. Bree could be many things, but selfish she wasn't. So she was sure it was a problem of communication.

"I don't know Mom. I think sometimes it overwhelms him. Just like with Dad."

Esme gasped. "What?"

"Just like Dad. I think he's having a difficult time adjusting to becoming a grandparent."

"No. Oh, no. Maybe it's because you're his little girl, and he's adjusting to seeing you really like an adult." Esme knew Carlisle was ecstatic about Bree's pregnancy.

Bree just shook her head. She was aware of the little changes in her father's demeanor. After one doctor appointment, she visited Carmen to greet her, then she told her the hair-dye experience, and how he changed his clothes. And Bree noticed the expression he made whenever someone called him 'grandpa'... He was realizing he was getting old. How come her mother, who was always so observant, didn't notice it?

xxx

Early in the morning, the phone rang. Jasper was waiting for the call, he didn't sleep.

"Mom?" He answered, dreading the answer.

Alice's heart broke with the pain in Jasper's voice. He knew her mother would call as soon as Uncle Roscow passed.

"At least he didn't suffer." Jasper lifted his hand as if calling Alice to come closer. "Yes, I'll make the arrangements."

Alice curled up into her husband arms.

"Yes, Cynthia and Peter are coming. They're old enough." Alice intertwined her fingers with Jasper's to offer at least a bit of comfort. "Sure Mom. I'll call you when I have the itinerary."

He hung up, already tears in his eyes. "He never recovered consciousness. He just stopped breathing in his sleep." with that last word, Jasper crumbled and started to dry.

"Oh, hun!" Alice was fast to hold him in her arms. Tears in her eyes too.

After giving him the chance to cry for a few minutes, Alice managed to make him drink a cup of tea. Poor Jasper barely contained his sobs.

"Let me make the calls. When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible." He tried to stand, but Alice pulled him down again. "I want to tell the kids..."

"Shh. It can wait. They'll be up in an hour. Still, I have to let the school know they're going to skip a few days. And you have to call your boss."

Jasper sipped the tea. "He knows it was bound to happen. He already gave me some time off, and if anything arises, I can solve it online. It's not a problem."

Alice nodded. As much as she wanted to cuddle with Jasper, she felt better when her hands were occupied. So, she worked on a plan for her stores, managed to get the plane tickets, half of their bags packed, all before the kids woke up. She found out they were up when she heard Cynthia's cries.

Shaking her head, she decided to leave a message to her friends too. She would be missing Thursday class.

xxx

Rosalie left the lawyer's building along with her mother. They barely made it on time for their date, because her mother's flight was behind schedule.

"I like your lawyer. She seems so competent and it's like she really understands you."

Rose smiled at her mother's praise for Victoria. Rose had to admit she made it all sound so easy, but now it was when the crucial moment was about to happen. She had to give the documents to Emmet.

They got home and Rose settled her mother's baggage into the guest room where she was sleeping. Emmett left a message explaining he was coming home late, and her mother noticed the cold tone in his voice.

"Hmm, how long since he started to behave like this?"

Rose sighed. "You don't want to know. But maybe this give us time to..."

"Change of plans Rose. Let me spend the night, let's give him one more night at home. But tomorrow..."

xxx

Next morning, as soon as Emmett left the house, Rose with the help of her mother, packed every little thing Emmett owned. Clothes, little knick knacks, his college diploma, even a file with his birth certificate and passport. Everything Rose found, went to the suitcases.

"Are you going to let him take his football trophies?" Her mother asked, bringing an empty box.

"Yeah, why would I want them?"

Her mother shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to fill the box.

Four hours later, every bit of Emmett's presence in the house was packed.

"Now, we wait," Rose said. "I'm nervous. What am I gonna say? 'Here, I know about Lauren so I want you out of the house'." Then shook her head.

"You wait for him and when he opens the door, you tell him the truth. Your marriage is broken and then you give him the divorce papers. End of it. I'll push the suitcases so he will get the message."

But by the time Emmett arrived, Rose was a mess of nerves.

He was about to open the door, surprised when Rose opened it. She was waiting for him.

"Rose!" For a second, he felt relieved. But his smile faltered when he noticed Rose's Mom standing behind her.

"Emmett... you know how things were wrong for so long. Right? And well, I, I know about her."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Lauren. I know about Lauren."

Emmett paled.

"Look, I know we were broken, but finding out about her made me realize there wasn't a way to fix our marriage. So, here take these." She handed him a folder.

"What's this?"

"Divorce papers. We're over."

Emmett gasped. "No, no. Please!" He tried to plead but Rose remained firm.

"No Emmett. I think it's clear we need to go on our own way." Her mother pushed the suitcases to the door while he was pleading. "Here are your things, I want you out of the house."

When Emmett noticed his things packed, that's when he realized Rose was serious. Begging would take him nowhere. He looked at Rose's face and only found determination. Not a single doubt.

"Ok. But how will I contact you? What if I forgot something?"

Rose's Mom pushed the suitcases out through the door and answered for her. "Call her lawyer, her card is inside the file. Bye!" And she closed the door right in his face.

xxx

"I'm glad you found a friend Tan. So he asked you for your resumé?" Bella was having trouble trying to understand what drunk Tanya was saying.

At the last minute, meaning Wednesday afternoon two hours before leaving, Jacob mentioned a family emergency and Tanya was forced to travel with Edward to the company's facility.

The first day of the visit went fine, according to Edward, but when they left Tanya found an old colleague from a previous job. Long story short, he asked her for coffee that turned into drinks and now Tanya was happy when the perspective of a new job in a new town was mentioned.

Bella was glad Edward was resting in his room, because if he knew Tanya was this drunk, he probably would get angry. All in all, Tanya got good news and she was terribly happy. Or at least, that's what Bella gathered from her slurred words.

"You know, maybe this is my chance to finally cut all ties to Marcus and leave it all behind. I want to start again. I want what you have." Tanya said. "Look, I'm in my room."

Bella giggled, seems like Tanya was about to pass out.

"Well, I won't hang up until I'm sure you're safe in your room, Tan."

"Oops, they card key don't work."

Bella heard some struggling and then sound of a door opening.

"I'll call you tomorrow Bella."

Tanya cut off the call, leaving Bella free to call Edward who answered on the first ring.

"Hi, baby. I was about to call you." He said. "Wait a second."

Bella heard movement and then a voice she didn't expect to hear in Edward's room.

"Oh, Edward! What are you doing in my room?"

"You're drunk! Wait what is that light?" Edward said.

Bella heard more struggling, the sound of something heavy falling, various voices arguing and then the call was cut off. What was happening over there?

* * *

 **Hi!**

 **I know Rose's and Bella's part ended in a cliff, but guess what? Next chapter will be on the guys POV. We'll know what was thinking Emmett when she gave him the divorce papers and was happening on Edward's hotel room.**

 **Let me know what you think.**

 **See ya.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Really long chapter. For Edward and Emmett, we're going to revisit the last events just from their perspective. For Jasper and Carlisle, we're moving on time :)**

 **Boys POV ;)**

xxx

Emmett had a difficult week at the construction site. Well, if he was honest, it wasn't 'work' per se what made it difficult, but some of his employees and the situation at home.

He broke up things with Lauren. She was getting too clingy, wanting him to take her out and somehow make public their affair. She even wasn't baffled when Emmett was very clear he never planned on leaving Rosalie. Apparently, Lauren was happy to be his woman by the side. That's when alarm bells rang for Emmett. She was up to something, so he ended things before she had the chance to act on her plans, whatever they were. Since then, she was sulking, rude, and clearly making his life more difficult. If she kept that attitude he would find a way to dismiss her, whether to change her to another site or simply firing her.

Then, a few of his guys got in a fight in a bar over a girl, resulting in some broken arms and three guys missing from work.

To make things worst, Rosalie had been ignoring him. It was as she couldn't bear to be in his presence anymore!

He couldn't wait for the weekend, though it was a few days away.

When he got home, he took out the key from his pocket but luck was on his side, Rosalie was waiting for him!

"Rose!" Perhaps there was still hope for them, his mood changed drastically with that thought.

"Emmett..." She was fidgetting with her hands, something wasn't right. "You know how things were wrong for so long. Right? And well, I, I know about her."

"What? What are you talking about?" Emmett couldn't grasp what Rosalie was talking about.

"Lauren. I know about Lauren."

Emmett paled. For a second, the world stopped. How come she knew? It wasn't possible!

"Look, I know we were broken, but finding out about her made me realize there isn't a way to fix our marriage. So, here take these." She handed him a file. It felt like he was watching a movie like these things weren't happening to him.

"What's this?" He took it with shaking hands.

"Divorce papers. We're over."

His heart sank, it was impossible! Just a few weeks ago he was thinking to bring up the subject of the baby again. He thought they have a forever. This must be a joke, right?

"No, no. Please!" This was a nightmare.

"No Emmett. I think it's clear we need to go on our own way."

He felt something pushed to his legs, and when he looked down... those were his suitcases. She packaged his things!

"Here are your things, I want you out of the house."

He needed time, he needed to think of something. Rose couldn't leave him! She was his wife!

"Ok. But how will I contact you? What if I forgot something?"He was desperate by now. He needed something, a little thread to hang on.

"Call her lawyer, her card is inside the file. Bye!"

He barely noticed how the rest of the suitcases got to his feet and how Rose's mother slammed the door on his face. He just stood motionless, trying to get a grip on what just happened.

Rosalie knew about Lauren. How? Did the little bitch come to talk to Rose? No. It wasn't possible. He would know. But then how? And if this was about his indiscretion, he had to wait until she was calmer, then he would convince her to get therapy; she wanted to go before, right?

"Hey! Good evening McCarty!"

Mr. Nicholson from next door walking his dogs brought Emmett back from his musings. He had to find a place to stay for a while. His own mother's house was out of the question, she and Rose barely tolerated each other as it was if Mom knew Rose threw him out... No, it will definitely erase any hope he had to gain Rose back again.

So Emmett went to the only place where he could sit and think about the recent events: His trailer at the job site.

xxx

The little couch in his made-up office wasn't comfortable at all, but it had to do until he manages to get on Rose good graces again if it ever happened. Once he got inside the trailer, he lost it and started to cry. The feeling of regret was incommensurable, and being inside the trailer where his biggest mistake happened didn't help to lift his mood.

He had a bottle of gin that somebody left and he polished it by the time the night fall upon him.

The reading of the file didn't assuage his fears. It seemed Rose gave a lot of thought to the divorce because the divorce agreement was so detailed. What surprised Emmet more was that she wasn't so vindictive to leave him without the construction company. She just wanted the house. If he was honest, he wouldn't be so merciful to her if she was the one unfaithful.

His phone rang again. His mother had been calling him for hours but he wasn't in the right mood to deal with her. Last time he talked to her, she hinted about needing to spend a few days at his house because she fought with his sister. Emmett really didn't want to imagine what could happen if his mother just showed up into his house right now. He texted her that he was out of town and that he would call her soon. Yep. He needed a few days to come to grips with the divorce.

He drank the last drops of the bottle and sat back. His mind was clouded with images of the good days when he and Rosalie were happy. What happened to them to end like this? Was it just Lauren? Because couples recover from infidelity every day. Or it was something else? Well, it didn't matter. He was the stupidest man in the world, and for now, he will have to adjust to a new empty life.

 **xxxx**

Edward was massaging his temple. He was suffering the mother of all headaches and he had only him to blame. If he hadn't forgot his new glasses...

It all started early in the morning. Tanya called him to let him know the plaintiff's lawyer was up very early and on his way to the factory. He barely had the chance to change and reach Tanya, only to find the plaintiff's lawyer trying to bribe the factory manager. They were losing and they knew it.

The visit went on without a hitch, and when he called Renata to explain everything he received the order to offer a modicum settlement to the only one affected, if he didn't agree, then he'll lose his chance and they would gladly wait for the judge's decision.

Once everything was settled, he and Tanya went back to the hotel, but Tan found a friend and decided to go with him for lunch. Better for him because his head was starting to ache. And he was hungry because he skipped breakfast.

After a wholesome meal, he planned how to bring his plan to have a ceremony to remember the first anniversary of the loss of their baby. It was time, and Bella seemed to be finally over it. It was time to give himself a chance to his closure. But he needed to mind his words, after all, he was still expecting to have a nice romantic vacation time.

He called Bella to let her know how the visit went and decided to get a nap. He was expecting the plaintiff or his lawyer to call with their answer.

He woke up after hearing some loud voices outside. He went to check and it was a group of teens horsing around. Edward gave a glance to his watch, it was late at night! He quickly checked his phone and his mail. No, there wasn't an answer from the other side. Damn! He was hoping to end this case today, well, maybe by tomorrow they'll realize they don't stand a chance to win.

His phone rang, but it was Bella's tone.

"Hi, baby! I was about to call you." Well, just after he drank a glass of water. Why sleeping so much always left him so thirsty? He heard someone trying to open his door and got angry thinking it was the other team's lawyer. He was an ass. "Wait a second."

He walked to his door, opened it fast, he had his most dangerous glare on ready to intimidate the bastard, only to be shocked to find a very drunk Tanya tumbling her way inside his room.

"Edward, what are you doing in my room?" Tanya almost fell.

Great! She was completely hammered!

"You're drunk." As he was lifting her by the arms, he felt a light shining outside. Like the bulbs of the hallway were blinking or like someone was taking a picture with a flash. "Wait, what is that light?"

He tried to move Tanya to the side, to see who was taking pictures of them, but Tanya was a dead weight and was fighting him.

"What light? Did I die?"

She pushed his arm, making him drop the phone. Whomever was taking those pictures ran through the hallway, but he got a glimpse of a tall buff man with dark hair. The lawyer was short and fat. Who could it be?

Tanya found herself laying on the thick carpet and began to snore.

"Great, just great." Edward slammed his door closed and tried to worm his phone from under Tanya's ass.

"Move, you lush!"

"Shh, I'm tired." She turned to the other side and Edward finally got his phone out. He felt bad for letting her on the floor, so he lifted her and carried her to his bed. Now, he had to sleep on the couch.

He called Bella who was sick worried .

"What happened?"

"Nothing, just drunk Tanya who got into the wrong room. She's passed out!"

Bella smiled and pictured Edward trying to deal with Tanya. Sometimes it was like she was fifteen again!

"Anyway, I'm going to get me something to eat and then I'm going to sleep. God knows what I should expect for tomorrow." Edward sighed. He was dreading to deal with the last day of the visit but one way or another the case would be over a week after this.

xxx

Friday morning started way better than Thursday. Beginning with a copious breakfast, courtesy of a very ashamed and hungover Tanya.

"And you think that grease haired lawyer tried to take incriminating pictures of us? I don't think it was him. It isn't like he can blackmail us, the decision isn't in our hands. No, I'm thinking it was one of those boys you saw horsing around." Tanya said before finishing her gigantic plate of pancakes.

"Who else would take a picture of your drunk ass?" Edward taunted her, which made Tanya choke with a piece of bacon she was eating.

Edward palmed her back and she finally recovered.

"Ass!" She took a sip from her juice. "I'm so going to tattle on you. Bella will have your hide."

Unbeknownst to them, the tall man took another picture of the moment, leaving the restaurant immediately.

"Now, we have to hurry. It's nine thirty, we have to get to the lobby. Just in case this guy arrives early again."

They rushed to pay the bill and moved to the lobby, happy to find they were the first ones.

"Well, let's hope they come early to take our deal. Either way, we're soon going to get rid of their asses." Tanya said while getting busy reading the tourist pamphlets stuck on a shelf. "Look, they have guided tours to the artsy part of town. You can buy Bella a nice gift for being so patient with you. Well, really I need to give her something, she was with me on the phone until I managed to get to your room. She's an angel."

Edward gave a glance around, only to stop his eyes on the revolving door. He could swear he saw Jacob going out of the hotel.

 **xxx**

The wake for Uncle Roscow was programmed to be held at the park in front of the church. Almost every Whitlock in the USA came by!

Since Jasper and his family arrived, they were surrounded by his whole family every place they looked around. Uncle Roscow was the oldest of ten brothers. Each one of them had at least two kids so Jasper's close family was around seventy people prancing around trying to help.

When they arrived, his mother sadly announced that he, Alice and the kids will have to share his old bedroom as many family members came from out of town. And she wasn't lying. Jesus, when his family got this big?

He was glad to find that at least five of his nieces were around Cynthia's age, and Peter didn't have a problem finding kids around his age too. Alice was the one who wasn't so comfortable, she wasn't used to sharing a house with so many people. She was trying to help his mother with brunch but soon she found herself out of the kitchen with a broom.

"She told me to clean our bedroom." She just said a bit spooked off the chaos inside the kitchen. "Are you fine?"

"Yes, you don't have to sweep anything, you know? She's just nervous and her way of relaxing is getting busy so she hands everyone a chore. That's why she handled the calls, organized pretty much the whole funeral. I'm supposed to change the bulbs in the garage." Jasper lifted his arm with two cases of bulbs.

"Oh, well, then I'll go upstairs, I also want to see what mess Peter left of his clothes." Alice moved shaking her head.

Jasper smiled. She wasn't used to a big family reunion like this. In her family, they weren't this close. When they went to her grandfather's funeral, she barely acknowledged the rest of her family with a nod. Here, she got hugged by all his aunts, uncles, and cousins. A few of them thought she was one lost cousin.

He was so distracted by his thoughts, he didn't realize someone was waiting for him in the garage.

"Hi, Jasper. You didn't come to visit last time you were here." It was Janice, his high school sweetheart. She broke his heart when she left him for Thomas Davenport who just got an old car for his 17th birthday. At the time, he was so brokenhearted that when the time came, he chose the farthest university he could find to get away from her. Last he heard they broke up and she married her neighbor Harold. How time flies!

"Hi, Janice. How are you?" He got closer to greet her but he couldn't because his hands were carrying the light bulbs. She, on the other hand, wasn't afraid to walk closer and hugged him.

"Fine, fine. It's you who I'm worried about. I know how close you were to Roscow."

"Well, he lived a wonderful life. And he didn't suffer, so I guess I should be fine."

Janice never let go of him. Her hands caressed his wild blond curls.

"You look like you need a lot of hugs." Then she giggled. "I guess sometimes it's easy to forget that you're not that handsome seventeen-year-old boy who came to serenade me anymore."

Jasper sighed, was she trying to flirt with him?

"I heard a few things last time you came by." She mentioned while twirling one of Jasper's blond curls making it very difficult for him to push her away.

"Hmm, really?"

"Yep. They say you're having problems back home."

Jasper cursed his mother and her willingness to talk about him with her church friends. Probably everybody in town knew by now about Cyn and her crisis.

"Well, it would be a very boring life without bumps on the road, right?"

Janice started to trail her hand over his bicep, an overly friendly touch.

"Well, I heard this bump was... sort of... gigantic. I mean, I get it. Rich city girl may become boring, after all, the glitter and shine vanishes with time. You may need to have a walk around to your roots, you know? Maybe you need to confide, get closer to those who know you, really know you."

Oh shit. She was more than flirting. Was she propositioning? It was so long ago he dated that he lost the nuances of courting. The box of bulbs in his hands was feeling heavy suddenly.

"Look, Janice..."

Her hands were up to his neck, trying to pull his head closer to hers.

"Did I tell you that I just divorced Harold?"

He managed to disentangle from her arms, almost dropping the bulbs.

"No, Janice. You got it wrong. I'm sorry for you and Harold, but I'm happily married. Yes, we had a little problem but we face it and now we're almost over it. And just for the record, it was about my kids, not about the situation between my wife and me"

"That's wasn't what I heard," Janice said with certainty. Last time Jasper was back home, she was passing by the Whitlock's yard and heard Jasper talking with his father. Jasper wasn't fooling her.

"Daaad! Are you here?" The sweet voice of his daughter couldn't come at a better time.

"Cyyyyn! Over here!" He shrugged his shoulders, all Janice could do was try to fix her hair.

Cynthia walked enthusiastically into the garage. She was bored and when her mother started to clean the room and berating Peter for being a pig, she offered to help her father before her mother found a reason to scold her too.

"Hi, Daddy. What chore did Grandma assign for you? Mom told me Grandma is busy and before she comes to get me and puts me to clean her silverware with 'oh so charming and single cousin Jeffrey' I decided to come to help you."

Cynthia's tirade was welcomed with the bewildered eyes from Janice. Jasper, on the other hand, smiled at how much she looked like Alice right now. Recently, Cyn was blossoming into a confident girl. Especially is she was mimicking Jasper's mother when she tried to push timid Jeffrey to the now outgoing Cynthia.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't notice you. I'm Cynthia." She eagerly offered her hand to the flustered woman, and if she wasn't so inexperienced she would bet that something was happening before she got here.

Janice had no choice but to greet the exuberant teenager.

"Cyn, this is Janice and old friend of mine."

Janice felt the need to add 'ex-girlfriend' but what was the point? By now the mood was broken and she felt terribly awkward.

"So Dad." Cyn was eyeing the boxes of bulbs.

"Well, you'll help me to change the lights. Let me bring the ladder and you'll pass me the bulbs once I get up there."

"Did you know that aunt Lala's real name is Lavinia? Who names his kids 'Lavinia'?" Cynthia asked and she took the bulbs from her father, completely forgetting about Janice.

Janice left, shaking her head. Jasper's daughter was really something special and she had to be more careful if she wanted to have another chance to speak to him alone, though he wasn't as welcoming as she expected.

xxx

The priest's words didn't register on Jasper's ears. His mind was plagued with memories of his uncle. Good ones, especially from his childhood, and bad ones, like when they found he was sick. The soft touch of Alice's hand was the only thing keeping him from breaking down. How could he once doubt their bond? She understood, without words, what he needed at the moment.

Finally, the priest left the makeshift stand, and it was the turn for many family members to say a few words about Roscow Whitlock.

First, his Aunt Hilda stood to thank everybody for coming and she said a few words. "I'm one of the youngest sisters and I can tell you he was the best big brother a girl could ask while growing up. Sure, he always kept our suitors on their toes, making a few squirm in their socks." Her words made some people laugh. "But whenever I got in trouble, he was a great shoulder to cry on. He had an excellent ear and always made you smile pointing to the silver lining in any situation."

Of course, he did. Jasper recalled the time he let his mother know he was getting married. She was crying, devastated, not because she didn't like Alice but because he was moving far away. Uncle Roscow managed to calm his mother, and soon, got everybody hugging and crying tears of joy. Of course, the promise of grandkids lifted his mother spirits. As she moved with them for a month when Cynthia was born.

"Are you going to say something?" Alice whispered.

"I don't know. Maybe." Jasper didn't know if he could find the right words to express how much Roscow meant to him.

"Hmm, hi, I'm Jennifer. I was Roscow's neighbor." The old lady in red started to recall how Roscow introduced her to the best shops in town, which meant the corner shop at Main Street and the dinner across the street. He joked with everyone and always had a smile on. And always stole a cookie from her kitchen.

Jasper again got lost in his memories. Every summer since he could remember, the whole family traveled for a two-week vacation. There were lots of kids around his age to keep him occupied but the adults got tired real soon. Nobody has the patience to deal with them for long as uncle Roscow. He taught them to swim, to pitch a tent, to climb trees. He taught Jasper to play the guitar, as Roscow had a fine voice and loved to sing. But the best part was when at night, everybody was gathered around the dinner table. Adults were happy to mingle with a drink in hand, but for the kids, it was so boring. Uncle Roscow was fast to put on a record and then he played a game. He danced and twirled around the room and got all the kids in line following his movements. The songs were silly as his dance steps. Once he stole a bite from Granpa's plate before twirling around and all the kids followed, leaving Grandpa with no other choice but to get two more plates for the kids. There was one particular song that even the adults danced as it utterly ridiculous and yet extremely fun...

"Hi, I'm Albert. Most of you won't recognize me because I moved to Bogota after college, and well, it was difficult to come back to visit."

Jasper almost spat the water he was drinking. That was Bert? He really changed. He was almost bald and he got a beautiful tan. He was so muscled you could barely remember the scrawny blond kid he once was. Jasper best friend until he joined the army.

"Long time ago, at our woodworking class, they had us make a birdhouse from scratch. I was fucked, pardon my french! But uncle Roscow offered his assistance. Mind you, he wasn't skillful with tools either. So you can imagine the sort of birdhouse we made, it had two holes we declared doors and it resembled more a flying saucer than a birdhouse. So what did Roscow do? He painted in bright colors and named it 'the space birdhouse'. He added buttons, glitter, and a few strings of yarn and after I got an A, we placed it in his backyard. You wouldn't believe how many birds came to visit. Even a few squirrels tried to make it their home!" The crowd laughed. "He always knew how to make the best of any circumstance."

Now Jasper knew what to say. And he knew Bert would be glad to help.

"Hey boy, would you mind to lend me your guitar?" He asked to one of the church chorus guys. In two strides he was up with a shocked Bert.

"I'm Jasper and I find difficult to explain how much Roscow meant to me, I think I found something that will bring back memories of the best times we spent with him. Bert, I know you remember this one." He strummed a few chords on the guitar and then started...

 _Dou dou dou dou_  
 _I told the witchdoctor, I was in love with you_

In that moment Bert burst out laughing apart of many of the Whitlocks, while Alice, Cynthia, and Peter didn't understand what Jasper was doing.

 _Dou dou dou dou_  
 _I told the witchdoctor, I was in love with you_  
 _Dou dou dou dou_  
 _And then the witchdoctor, he told me what to do_

By now, not just Bert was singing along with Jasper, but a few cousins went up to stand with Bert and Jasper.

 _Ooh eeh ooh ahah, ting tang wallawallabingbang_

Hands up and down, shoulders shimmying and two jumps. All the cousins were dancing.

 _Ooh eeh ooh ahah, tingtang wallawallabingbang_  
 _Ooh eeh ooh ahah, ting tang wallawallabingbang_  
 _Ooh eeh ooh ahah, tingtang wallawallabingbang_

By the third time he repeated the chorus, Cynthia was up with him following the silly dance, while various attendees were singing and crying. Roscow made an anthem of the song, and somehow he made it full of hope of better times. What a better way to remember him than with his song.

 **xxx**

Carlisle left his coworker office with a spring in his step. He knew he was healthy but to have the evidence to prove it was utterly satisfying. The only blip on his radar was when D. Jameson said 'You're in excellent shape... for someone your age'. Pshh! Carlisle wasn't an old man and he was about to prove it.

He asked Jameson suggestion of more physical activities as he was finding golf boring. Jameson agreed and suggested yoga, which only brought a roll of eyes from Carlisle, so then he suggested Tai-chi or swimming.

Carlisle was intrigued about Tai-chi. He remembered when a few years ago, he and Felix shared so many weekends watching male-friendly films such as 'Enter the ninja', 'Fist of fury', or 'Shogun assassin'. Damn! There was even one named 'The crippled masters'. And if that man without legs could bring the bad guy down, imagine what Carlisle with a little patience could do.

So he went back to his office and decided to do a little search. He found a film named 'The man of Tai-chi' with Keanu Reeves on it. Now his mind was full of Matrix moves and he was sporting a giant smile. This seemed so interesting.

Aro came by, asking how the appointment with Dr. Jameson went. Carlisle was fast to explain everything, and seeing that Aro was in search for a new sport activity after his injury, they decided to try this Tai-chi.

Aro called the sports facility located a few blocks down the road and found they indeed have Tai-chi classes.

At lunch time, they changed from their lab coats and walked to check the classes.

A very chirpy woman welcomed them and offered a brochure with the range of activities the facility provided.

"Hmm, we are interested in your Tai-chi classes."

The chirpy girl jumped on excitement. "We have two one-hour classes daily from Monday through Friday and one two-hour class on Saturday. As a matter of fact, right now we have one going on. Do you want to take a look?"

Carlisle and Aro nodded enthusiastically.

The facility was enormous and each area was full equipped. The girl guided them through the weight lifts, an area where many elliptical trainers were displayed, then they finally reached a room covered in mirrors.

They stood outside watching as a mature man was making some odd moves.

"Remember wax in, wax off" Aro whispered, still enthusiastic.

The girl made them take a few steps to the side, in order to show them how big the class was when the two men gasped. The room was full of very mature women!

'Nah-uh.' Carlisle thought. 'This is for old ladies!'

Aro just coughed lightly and in a very diplomatic way mentioned that perhaps their schedule wasn't so accommodating.

Carlisle recovered and asked about the swimming pool. The girl smiled and guided them to that side of the building.

"We have an Olympic size pool, that is usually divided in two. One side for the regular classes and the other for people who comes to train alone." She stopped and tell them in a serious voice "Well, there are a few time slots reserved for our professionals. They had the whole pool for training, so you can come any time except then." She continued walking explaining how if they chose to join a class, they'll have to pass an evaluation period then they can be sorted into a category or come once in a while for guidance.

The moment they arrived at the pool, chirpy girl told them it was one of the advanced classes along with the 'free-timers'.

Carlisle watched in awe as two young men glided through the water and felt inclined to join the swimming lessons. He looked at Aro who was busy watching a few young girls equally graceful in the water. Aro nodded too.

"I think we're more interested in swimming. Could you give the requirements to join the class?"

xxx

The next day, Carlisle and Aro came out from the dressers to the pool. That forgotten feeling of excitement and wonder, like the one they used to have on the first-day school, was back and it elated Carlisle.

The instructor was a tall man in his thirties.

"So you're the new members?"

Aro smiled. "Yep. We're ready to show you how ready we are."

The man smiled and told them where to leave their towels. They were the firsts to arrive, so they disrobed and took position on the left side of the pool.

While the man showed them how to stretch, a few people arrived getting ready for the class. While Aro was happy to stretch and have a nice view, Carlisle felt the need to prove he was still in his prime years. He spread his arms, trying to reach his toes each time with the opposite hand. When he did eight repetitions, then he arched his back. That's when he heard more than felt how he pulled a muscle. The instructor was fast to come to his aid, but his pride made him smile and claim it was nothing.

"Well, everybody ready? Let's start with one lap, any style. go!"

Carlisle stood in his lane. He jumped and swam with all his might. One arm after the other, water gliding, his legs kicking the water. Wow! It felt so good. Soon he reached the other edge and turned back. Jesus! He was so in shape!

Finally, his hand touched the edge of the pool. He made it! But when he turned around, everybody else got before him and were busy following the instructor orders. Even Aro got first!

His only relief was that one woman finished after him, but she took it with poise and grace.

"I'm a bit out of shape." She giggled.

"Well, it seems we all have to practice. Our fastest swimmers excelled in doggie paddle style, but our last swimmers had better moves." The instructor said, trying to make Carlisle smile. "Let's start with a few exercises. Now extend your arms and paddle. We need four series of ten. Go!"

Aro turned to look at Carlisle and winked. Carlisle sighed, well, at least the instructor admired his style. With a bit of practice, Carlisle was sure he would win. Let's see who called him 'Grandpa'!

xxx


	20. Chapter 20

On Saturday, the girls sans Alice went out for drinks. It was time to celebrate Rose's new found freedom. Well, almost there freedom. Just a little signature away.

"I can't believe it's over. It seems like yesterday when we followed him." Esme was still astonished at the promptness with which now a marriage could get finished in these days. She was so glad she and Carlisle were still in love and together.

"But, I can't believe he didn't try to get you back. I mean, you told me he was shocked but I expected a bit of a fight from him." Bella still remembered how Emmett was a man in love once upon a time. How come he didn't fight for someone so beautiful, lovely, and full of life like Rose?

"Oh, he tried. Last Thursday at night he came by, trying to get me to talk to him."

"Really?"

"He was so drunk. Of course, I didn't intend to open the door. He was screaming my name, urging me to listen to him."

"Damn. Did your neighbors complain? Called the cops?"

"No. It wasn't necessary. Once he got close to the door, my mother, God bless her, threw him a bucket full of ice cold water!"

"No way!"

"Awesome!"

Both friends were laughing, picturing a frozen, soggy, Emmett.

"He left with his tail between the legs. I mean, he called Victoria in the morning, trying to get us some counseling. Victoria was adamant he only had two options, to sign immediately or I would fight him the company. She was very clear of the many ways I could get him to lose everything."

"So he signed?"

"He will. He still asked for a meeting, with Victoria by my side of course. He said he believed I deserve some alimony as I helped him to keep the company running and after we settled it, he will sign. Victoria thinks it's the only excuse he could think of to get to talk to me. Not like I'm going to change my mind."

Esme got quiet for a bit. She was thinking that, later on, Rose may regret giving up the company so easily to Emmett. "Hun, are you sure it's okay to let him get away with the company now that is thriving? I mean, you are part of the success it has at the moment."

"Well, I don't think I want to deal with Emmett ever again."

Just as Esme thought, Rose's pride was the one making decisions. Sure, she had a right to feel angry. Who wouldn't? But in the long run, Emmett took advantage of her, and maybe one day she would regret letting him go just like that.

"Are you sure? What about his mother?" Bella added. She knew how much Rose hated her mother in law.

"Oh, that woman! You don't have an idea of how happy I am to get rid of her. No more 'Rose, I see Emmett is getting thin, do you cook enough for him?'" Rose faked the nasal voice of the harpy. "'Rose, you're letting yourself go. Those five pounds won't vanish by themselves.' She was truly irritating and the only times she was sort of nice were when she wanted something from me."

"Do you think she knows you're about to get divorced?" Bella wonder. If that woman was so awful when they were in 'good terms', how would she act now that Rose was breaking her bond to Emmett?

Rose downed the rest of her drink thinking about Bella's question. "I don't think so. But, honestly, I don't care. If she's coming for trouble, I'm ready to face her, I don't have to tolerate her for Emmett's sake anymore. If she's rude, I can show her how rude I am. Worst, if she comes by, my mother has a few words of her choice to say to her."

The waitress brought them another round of drinks and Esme proposed a toast.

"For moving on."

"For moving on and dropping lost/dead weights"

"Cheers!"

xxx

Two hours and a few drinks later, Esme started with the dirty jokes that had Bella and Rose almost peeing of laughter.

"Now, shh. Listen. A man and a woman started to have sex in the middle of a dark forest. After about 15 minutes of it, the man finally gets up and says, "Damn, I wish I had a flashlight!". The woman says, "Me too, you've been eating grass for the past ten minutes!"

The table erupted in laughter.

"Oh stop it! Now I have to go to the girl's room again." Bella said still cackling.

She was lucky there wasn't a line for the bathroom, but the way back to the table wasn't as comfortable as she wanted.

"I've been watching you, pretty lady. Can I buy you a drink? A Cosmo I think?" The man was tall and kind of handsome, but Bella was fast to flash her wedding ring.

"No thanks. I'm just here with friends."

"Yeah, my boys were watching too. They are already mingling with your friends."

Bella's snort shocked the man. For starters, they weren't the first guys to try.

"I don't think so," Bella said, rolling her eyes. Ridiculous males.

By now, Bella was back to the table and pushed her way to her chair from between the men who were trying to woo Rose and Esme.

"Now, this is a girls night, so if you excuse us," Bella said with finality and the guys finally left.

"You know, I think they must have a bet to see who can manage to break our icy hearts," Esme said smiling. "I mean, not even the rings scared them. What do they think we are?"

"But if you want to have a drink with one of them, Rose..."

"Meh. Not ready at all. I prefer to wait until he signs the divorce papers, and honestly, I'm not sure if even then. I think I need some time for myself."

A tall brunette woman got closer to their table. "Rose? Is that you?"

Rose gasped and cursed. It was Eileen, Emmett's sister. She wasn't ready to deal with his family.

"Yeah. Hi "

Certainly, there wasn't love lost between them and though Rose didn't hate her like she did her mother, Eileen was never nice to her or Emmett.

"So it's a girl's night, I see," she said and Rose nodded.

"Yep, just me and the girls."

"Hmm, so it's true then," Eileen said after looking to Bella and Esme. "You and Emmett are divorcing."

Rose gasped, waiting for the storm of insults that was about to come.

But she was met with silence and Eileen looking intently at her.

"I don't want to sound bitchy but... good for you. I think Emmett let Mom interfere too much, he always enables her meddling ways."

Now it wasn't just Rose with eyes like saucers. What the hell!

"I mean, he still doesn't find the courage to tell Mom, but he asked me to keep her far from you. And that was after I caught him talking to a lawyer. You know, for someone as big and scary as him, he's a pussy for not daring to talk to Mom. Better pick up your money and everything you own because as soon as she finds out she'll fight you for everything, even the house. Anyway, I just want to wish you luck with your life." With those last words, Eileen turned around and walked to wherever her friends were waiting for her.

"Did that just happened?" Rose wondered aloud.

"Yes. Was that Emmet's sister? Wasn't she a bitch to you?" Esme sipped from her drink.

"Yeah. Well, now I think she didn't hate me so much." Rose tapped her fingers on the table. "You know, she's right about one thing. Emmett may not fight me about money but she surely will. I need to get him to sign quickly. Because if he doesn't and she intervenes... I may get greedy."

xxx

The next day after the funeral, the Whitlocks enjoyed a cookout at Roscow's giant backyard. He left it specified in his will. He didn't want them to cry, but to enjoy each other company.

Jasper's mother handed each wife a post-it with a time slot for their use of the kitchen, as everybody was supposed to cooperate and each family must've to cook a dish. Alice got nine in the morning and dessert. Peter offered gladly his help, but Alice knew it was just to taste the batter and lick the spoons with the chocolaty goodness she baked. What could she say? Boys will be boys, always.

By noon, everybody was mingling and joking. Jasper spent the whole morning talking to his cousin Bert, reconnecting their old friendship. Meanwhile, Peter was frolicking around with a few boys. Someone brought a few of those water pistols and the kids were enjoying themselves.

"Alice, why don't you sit with me?" Vernon, Jasper's dad called her. He was a man of few words, sitting in the shadow of the veranda, watching the people around him.

"You have a great view." Alice tried to make conversation.

"Yeah."

Alice watched how Peter along other kids was running around in the neighbor's yard. She tried to stand to reprimand him but Vernon stopped her.

"It's not necessary. Jennifer won't mind as long they leave her cats alone."

Alice nodded and wished Peter was better behaved.

"They're kids." He whispered. "I remember when Jasper was his age, you don't know how many broken windows I had to repair. Or when he broke his leg after he fell from that tree." He pointed to an old sycamore.

Alice smiled wistfully. "I guess he was a lot to handle."

"Oh, he was the worst sort of rascal." Vernon smiled and turned to look at the people mingling.

Alice wasn't used to staying sitting in one place. She needed to move, to be doing something. So with a rag she found on her chair, she began to clean the veranda. Down, at the yard, the kids were squealing with joy. Someone must have told a good joke because you could hear the laughs and guffaws.

Jasper was still talking to Bert.

She cleaned the banister until she reached the edge, where a rag doll cat was watching her.

"He is Stewart. Jen's oldest cat. He was a great hunter until he fell from the roof while following a rat." Vernon shook his head. "Since then he is just like me, we love to watch people. Right, Stew?"

The cat meowed and turned his head to the crowd, where someone called Jasper.

The mention of his name made Alice look around for him. Sure enough, Jasper was still talking with Bert, beer in hand. Then, a toddler crying made Bert leave his beer with Jasper who happily drank it.

"How old is Bert?"

"Same age as Jasper. That baby was an 'oops' baby. His wife thought she was getting menopausal until the doctor told her it was a baby coming. She had to quit her job, it got too much to handle with four kids. It was a good thing her family lives near them."

Alice hummed in answer, she couldn't imagine being in that situation. A baby at her age! No, she barely had the stamina to tend to her two kids and work. But then something got her attention. That Janice woman was taking advantage of Jasper finally being alone. She didn't make an effort to be discreet and Cynthia noticed. Cynthia became Jasper's shadow since the funeral.

Janice walked, no, strutted her way to Jasper and she must have said something flirty again, because Jasper immediately changed his relaxed posture, ready to escape Janice's wandering hands.

Alice thought she must have something wrong with her because she didn't feel an ounce of jealousy. She trusted Jasper and it was clear as the day how she made him feel uncomfortable. But Cynthia on the other hand...

"Daaad!" Cyn walked with determination to Jasper, tired of running interference with that woman. Who did she think she was?

Alice tried to stand again, but Vernon winked at her. "Let Cynthia handle this. It will be fun."

"Uh?" Alice was surprised. "Isn't she the one who left Jasper for another boy who got a car? I don't think he has nice memories of her."

"Yeah, and let me tell you, my wife is dying to see this through." He pointed to a group of women seated near Jasper. "She never forgave Janice for breaking Jasper's heart."

Cynthia got between Jasper and Janice, seething in anger to the woman's blatant flirting over a married man.

"You know, I don't believe in karma, but sometimes it seems to work. Janice left the other boy too, thinking Harold Bernstein was a better catch. She married him and got pregnant in less than a year, and then Harold changed. She thought he would be easy to manipulate, but turned out the contrary. As soon as their daughter left for college they got divorced. And now Harold in prancing around with his daughter's ex-best friend."

Alice laughed and elbowed him. "Stop! You're such a gossip!"

"What? I knew the moment she saw in which kind of car you arrived, her eyes shone in interest. Now, a teenager will put her in her place. Worst, his own daughter, not you so she could argue you felt threatened. Trust me, this will be fun."

Because of the loud voices of the rest of the family, Alice couldn't hear what Cynthia was saying, but clearly, she was making a point of putting Janice on her place, as her gesture was like fire. Janice blushed, huffed and left in a hurry, while Jasper hugged Cynthia. And he offered her a sip of his beer.

"Let him, it's just a sip. I think he's trying to ease her up."

"He knows I don't want her near a beer. She's just getting back from her self-esteem issues." Alice huffed.

"But I think she was pretty upset, I didn't think of the two of you, she would be the one getting jealous."

Vernon words shocked Alice. Was there something more than confidence in her relationship, to cause her lack of jealousy? It seemed she had a lot to think on her way home.

* * *

Hi!

Sorry for being lost. RL had been a bit difficult for a while. The good news is that I have the next three chapters almost finished, so I'll try to post them through the next week.

I hope you had an excellent Thanksgiving and those who don't celebrate it, a great weekend.

See ya!


	21. Chapter 21

That Sunday morning, Bella was giddy with excitement. Edward was about to get back home! She offered to pick him up at the airport but when his flight got delayed he decided a cab would be better because he didn't know when he would be landing home.

So Bella was humming and finishing the last details for a delicious stew, homemade bread, and maybe a chocolate cake if she just could stop eating the batter! Edward must be hungry after having breakfast really early. And those damn airlines just offer peanuts or those tiny packages with two cookies for short distance flights. No, it won't do. Bella was adamant to spoil him.

She heard the neighbor's dog barking excited so she went to see if by any chance Edward was already home. She peeked through the window but no one was out there, except passing cars. Bella shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the kitchen but she noticed a manila envelope on the floor. Strange as the mailman always preferred the very silly mailbox outside. Edward chose it because it had the shape of a spaceship. Maybe it was a new mailman?

She looked at the envelope that had a sticker with her name printed. Maybe it was more junk mail, a brochure.

She opened it carefully, completely clueless as to what it held. It was too much for a brochure. Those things scream look at me, while this envelope looked a bit business-like. No, inside there were pictures. Four 8X10 pictures in black and white. The first two were from Tanya falling into Edward's arms. Bella giggled and sighed relieved. She got a bit scared for a second, not knowing what kind of pictures would be inside, but these probably were a gift from the guys to make her laugh. She knew deep inside that Michael had that mischievous touch and Leah loved a good joke every now and then. They knew she would tease Tanya after getting so hammered. You could see Edward holding his phone with the other hand! He was talking to her at that precise moment!

The next one was from a restaurant, Tanya's face was really close to Edward's who had an entranced look in his eyes. Bella giggled again. Silly man forgot his new glasses and had a hard time trying to read the menu. Tanya was probably mocking him.

The last one was different. Tanya was standing really close to Edward, whose head was bowed as in deep thought with a hand over his neck. From that precise angle, it also looked like it was Tanya's hand the one caressing his reddish locks, but Bella knew that hand better than hers. Besides, it was his nervous trait. He always messed with his hair as if it wasn't difficult to keep it in place.

But there was something in the moment that picture was snapped... like it tried to convey a very different message.

Bella looked again at the envelope. It didn't have a returning address, just the sticker with her name: 'For Bella Masen'. She shook it but nothing else came out.

xxx

"Give yourself an applause, you did great," Jane said, finishing the class.

"Damn I think I gained ten pounds with the Whitlock!" Alice huffed. "Those women really cook and they're of that kind that 'no one leaves the table until your plate is clean'. Anyway, let me check on Cyn's dance lessons. Give me five and I'll be back."

She ran to the door, leaving her duffel bag at Bella's feet.

"She's so overreacting!" Rose said between breaths. Jane really pushed them today. "Just because she's bloated today she feels like she needs to get on a diet."

Esme chuckled. "I think it's her period coming, she's also a bit grumpy. But she can't make any comment at home, you know with Cynthia and her body image issues. I wish I had that body when I was her age."

"I know! I always had a bit of fat in my belly that only went away when I got into college." Bella pointed to her very flat belly. "But then, I was more worried my boobs weren't growing like they were supposed to."

"Oh, come on! Everybody has something they don't like. I grew very fast and I felt like a giraffe. Boys were intimidated because I was taller than them." Rose added, already finished changing her clothes. "Uh, oh. Your number one fan is coming."

Rose and Esme did very little to hide their chuckles. Jacob Black came barreling into the room, blatantly ignoring the greetings his own fans were shouting. This must be fun.

"Hi, Bella. It's nice to see you." He said, standing tall and with a smug stance. He was sure Bella received those pictures by now and he couldn't wait to see her reaction.

"Hi, Jacob," Bella answered, hoping he turned his attention to the group behind his back. One of those girls almost fell over her ass trying to get his attention.

"Well, as you know our case it's almost over." He prompted, like waiting for a reaction from her. But Bella just nodded. "Well, I'm not sure if they're keeping our team of three together, you know? Because Leah and Michael will be assigned to the next big case. I'm sure they will leave TANYA to work with EDWARD." He made a lot of emphasis on the last phrase, still waiting for a reaction.

Bella was too polite to answer what she was really thinking but still smiled waiting for Jacob to get his point across.

"Well, I wanted you to know that even if they change me to another team I'm here if you need me... I mean a friend. Yeah, if you need a friend to talk to."

Whoop! That was close. Jacob thought.

"Sure Jacob." Bella was at a loss for words while Esme and Rose were chuckling behind her. The guy was delusional. Bella kept hoping he didn't ask for her number. When he put his hand in his pocket, Bella got scared that she would be obligated to give her number to him, so she added. "And I'll still see you around, right"

Jacob's heart was soaring! Of course, they could still be meeting at the gym! He gave her his most endearing smile and said "Of course. See you next Tuesday!"

He turned, still giddy because now he was sure he would win Bella over, not noticing the petite black haired woman running to the room.

"Umph"

Alice was again lost in her mind, reorganizing her schedule to fit Cynthia's dancing lessons and Peter's tennis practices, so she didn't notice the giant wall of muscles standing at the door. Again, she crashed with Jacob and he, in his excellent mood was happy to settle her. Hell, he could hug her as he thought the world was a bright place.

"Sorry. I keep crashing into you." Alice muttered, wondering what the hell was this guy doing here. Esme and Rose's giggles clued her into whom he was seeking.

"No problem." Jacob smiled at her and left. He was thinking of ways to woo Bella into confiding on him.

xxx

"Stop it! He's just annoying."

Rose kept doing kissy faces to Bella's chagrin.

"Look, I wanted to talk you about something." She got serious. "I got these pictures on Sunday, just before Edward was back." She dropped the envelope on the table, and the girls were fast to retrieve the pictures.

Under their scrutiny, the real intention behind the pictures wasn't missed.

"Hun, I think someone is trying to cause problems in your marriage," Esme pointed with the agreement of the others.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. That last picture makes it look like Tanya is getting cozy with Edward." Bella said, passing the last picture to Alice's hand.

"And the one where she fall into his arms? Bella, whoever sent them to you wanted you to think they are having an affair!"

"Oh my God! This one from the restaurant, he looks so dazed by her."

Bella took a look at the picture again. "Meh. Silly man forgot his glasses. See, he's holding the menu trying to read it. You may not notice it, but sometimes he gets crossed eyed. I didn't show him the pictures until today before he left. He got so angry! He thinks it's the plaintiff's lawyer. Something about the guy knowing he's about to loose and he's getting desperate. But then, how did he find where Edward lives? How did he know to whom address the envelope?"

Alice was tapping her nose while thinking. "Maybe you should talk to Tanya. Oh, no. But she was drunk. Well, then to Jacob." Alice batted her eyelashes, earning a slap from Bella. "No, seriously, you need to talk to the others from the team. Maybe they've noticed that scumbag lawyer following Edward."

"Or," Rosalie interrupted Alice, "you can show whoever sent those pictures that you and Edward are still happily married. Go and take him to lunch. Stake your claim on your husband."

"Cheers to that!" Esme agreed, lifting her cup. "Now talking about claiming the hubby, Alice, what about that old flame that was flirting with Jasper?"

"Ugh! Don't remind me of Janine. Cynthia is still ignoring me because I didn't go and kicked the floozy's ass in front of the whole family."

The whole table erupted in laughter.

xxx

Alice was having one of those dreams... strong arms holding her, sweet caresses and hungry lips traveling over her body. The pleasure was building and she knew she was so close... In her dream, she scratched the broad shoulders as she climaxed whispering 'Oh, Jacob!'

Alice was up in a second. What the fuck was she dreaming?

* * *

 **So what do you think?**

 **Don't be too hard on Alice, she really isn't interested in Jacob at all. She's just overwhelmed and a bit confused.**

 **I hope you enjoy whichever holiday you celebrate in the company of your loved ones.**

 **See ya!**


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